Krill Oil is the best source of omega-3s you can take and one supplement I believe almost everyone should take because of its numerous health benefits and high bioavailability.*
In the past, we've worked tirelessly to make our krill oil supplements the best they can be… including adding extra astaxanthin. Astaxanthin supports your health* and provides added protection against oxidation.
But we're not stopping there.
When it comes to krill, there are good ways to harvest it, and… even better ways. We believe we have found the best way to harvest krill oil, so it is not only sustainable, but highly beneficial for you – and the environment.*
The Sustainability Difference
Our krill oil is certified sustainable by the most rigorous sustainability standards by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC).
MSC is a non-profit organization whose mission is to help transform the seafood market to a sustainable basis by recognizing and rewarding sustainable fishing practices. It maintains a global standard for the certification of sustainable wild capture fisheries and a chain of custody traceability certification program, which is renewable on a yearly basis.
Recently, MSC was ranked the highest of all eco-labels, based upon stringency of standards.**
Being MSC-certified means every component of the manufacturing process – from how the raw materials are harvested to how the product is manufactured – has been scrutinized to a high global standard to ensure the product is sustainable.
So, how exactly is our harvesting method sustainable? We use a number of methods to ensure that our Krill Oil is obtained through the most environmentally friendly means possible.
Mercola teams up with the AWRF
In my opinion, farmer's markets are the best for fresh organic produce.
We are proud and honored to team up with Antarctic Wildlife Research (AWR) Fund. The AWR originated as a result of landmark collaboration between scientists, businesses, and several of the world’s leading environmental groups. It will raise significant funds specifically for research into krill and its vital role in the Antarctic ecosystem. The AWR is an integral part of how we at Mercola fulfill our commitment to deliver responsibly-fished krill to you.
Eco-Harvesting®
While most other fishing vessels use a traditional trawling system that catches species of fish other than krill like penguins, seals, dolphins, and other fish, the patent-pending harvesting system we use does not! All non-krill species are filtered out and gently released unharmed.
In traditional trawling methods, the catch is hauled up on deck and emptied into holding tanks before processing; with krill's highly digestive enzymes, they basically self-destruct before they can be processed. With the Eco-Harvesting® system, our krill are fed through a direct hose connection – alive – straight to holding tanks on the boat.
Plus, Eco-Harvesting virtually eliminates all of the impact krill fishing has on the environment by ensuring no species are captured other than krill. We also carefully monitor the predator/prey balance to make sure penguins, whales, and fish have enough to eat…
Conservation of Antarctica's Animals
Since krill is the primary food source for many of Antarctica's animals, their importance in the food chain cannot be understated.
For this reason, to sustain and protect the world's oceans, krill harvesting is closely monitored to ensure krill are not overfished. Amazingly, less than a minute 1/50th of that limit has ever been harvested in a single year!
It's also important to not harvest too many krill from a single location so the natural predator/prey balance is not upset. This is one of the primary reasons we keep track of exactly where our krill is harvested from.
100% Traceable… From Sea to Shelf
Along with the new sustainability features, we've even created a way for you to trace our efforts…
The MSC maintains a global standard for the certification of sustainable wild capture fisheries and a chain of custody traceability certification program. Thanks to our investment in this certification, we can show you on a map where our krill was harvested from.
Best Source of Omega-3s
So, now that you've seen the unique, sustainable harvesting method of Dr. Mercola's Krill Oil, why should you choose krill over fish oil? The unique blend of ingredients in krill oil isn't found in fish oil – or anywhere else in nature.
Unlike fish oils, krill oil carries omega-3s in the form of phospholipids, which science has shown to be the safest and most effective carriers of DHA and EPA. Standard fish oils lack this phospholipid complex and instead have the less-beneficial form of free triglycerides.
Phospholipids are important because they make the omega-3 fatty acids in krill oil more bioavailable than those in fish oil by allowing DHA and EPA to directly enter your cells, making our Krill Oils some of the best sources of Omega-3s available. They also contain an antioxidant not found in fish or cod liver oil.
One of Nature's Most Powerful Antioxidants
We have invested in people, research and technology to ensure the future of krill fishery.
All of Dr. Mercola's MSC-certified krill oils contain 2 mg of Organic Astaxanthin – one of nature's most powerful antioxidants. One of the best sources (if not the best) of naturally occurring astaxanthin is a very unique type of microalgae called Haematococcus pluvialis.
Over 95 percent of the astaxanthin on the market today is produced synthetically, much of it for feeding to farmed salmon. Petrochemical-derived astaxanthin is much less expensive than astaxanthin from H. pluvialis, but it’s absolutely unequal in value.
The H. pluvialis we source for our organic astaxanthin is grown in glass tubes connected with special hoses that don’t use plastics, like the PVC hoses other growers use. Flexible PVC contains phthalates – toxic chemicals and endocrine disruptors – that can leach into the astaxanthin oils.
Astaxanthin not only supports your brain and nervous system health, it also helps prevent krill oil from going rancid – one of the main reasons you don't get a fishy aftertaste or burp when you take my krill oil.
We have gone above and beyond to create unique and sustainable krill oil products to help you take control of your health.* Experience the benefits of our Antarctic krill oils today – with their advanced sustainability methods. You owe it to yourself to not only know what you are putting into your body with a krill supplement – but also its source!
**Accenture recently evaluated and ranked various eco-labels, according to their stringency of standards, and MSC ranked the highest.