Krill Meal Co-Product from Krill Oil Production Market Size & Share 2026-2035

Krill Meal Co-Product from Krill Oil Production Market Size

The global krill meal co-product from krill oil production market was valued at USD 148 million in 2025. It is projected to grow from USD 158.4 million in 2026 to USD 291 million by 2035, representing 7% CAGR from 2026 to 2035, according to latest report published by Global Market Insights Inc.

• The market is expanding as de-oiled krill meal transitions from a secondary co-product of krill oil extraction to a primary revenue co-driver across the Antarctic krill processing value chain. Growing specification requirements from aquafeed formulators particularly for low-fluoride, certified-origin grades are elevating the functional and commercial importance of krill meal within salmon, salmonid, and shrimp diet formulations. Norwegian and Chilean aquaculture feed manufacturers continue to drive baseline volume demand, while the commissioning of large-capacity Chinese Antarctic krill vessels is expanding global supply volumes and reshaping trade flows toward Asian domestic markets.
• Accelerating premiumization of the pet food ingredient mix is creating a structurally expanding demand channel for high-specification krill meal grades. Rising consumer preferences for marine-derived functional ingredients in super-premium and therapeutic pet food formulations driven by documented benefits including long-chain omega-3 EPA and DHA, natural astaxanthin for coat pigmentation, and flavor compounds that enhance palatability are positioning krill meal as a labeled functional additive in North America, Europe, and South Korea. This channel is growing at approximately 8.5% CAGR, the fastest non-supplement segment in the market.
• Nutraceutical and human nutrition applications represent the highest-growth segment by CAGR, expanding at approximately 9.8% through the forecast period. Human protein supplement manufacturers, astaxanthin ingredient suppliers, and functional food formulators in North America and Europe are incorporating certified Antarctic krill meal as a marine protein and bioactive ingredient base, with certified origin documentation functioning as both a regulatory prerequisite and a commercial differentiator in premium retail and supplement channels.
• Governance and certification dynamics under the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) and the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) constitute the primary near-term supply-side risk. The lapse of Conservation Measure 51-07 eliminating spatial catch distribution limits within CCAMLR Area 48 for the 2025 season has introduced ecological sustainability concerns directly reflected in certification challenges by conservation organizations. European market access risks associated with MSC certification adjudication are expected to remain a material monitoring variable over the near-term forecast horizon.

Krill Meal Co-Product from Krill Oil Production Market Trends

• Structural shift in krill co-product economics: De-oiled krill meal has progressively assumed the role of primary revenue co-driver within the Antarctic krill industry, as specification upgrading by aquafeed and pet food buyers has elevated per-tonne value and production volume has expanded through Chinese fleet deployment. This inversion from meal as a residual output to meal as a commercial priority has altered the incentive structure for Antarctic krill processors and is reorienting capital allocation across vessel design, on-board processing technology, and downstream product development.
• In a Q3 2025 survey of 52 aquafeed formulators across Norway, Chile, and Thailand, 67% indicated they had increased their krill meal specification requirements over the preceding 18 months, with low-fluoride content and certified traceability ranked ahead of crude protein content.
• Chinese fleet expansion reshaping global supply architecture: Government-supported commissioning of large-capacity Antarctic krill vessels by Chinese operators, including Liaoning Pelagic Fisheries (Liaoyu Group) and Guangzhou Beyond Fishery, is increasing total global krill meal co-product volumes and directing incremental supply toward Chinese domestic aquaculture and pet food markets rather than European buyers. The Liaoyu Group set a record catch exceeding 70,000 metric tonnes in the 2024/25 Antarctic season, and Guangzhou Beyond Fishery deployed China's largest dedicated Antarctic krill processing vessel in March 2025. This redistribution of supply toward Asia Pacific is a structural contributor to the region's projected 8.8% CAGR and is gradually reducing European buyers' proportion of available certified supply.
• Premium grade bifurcation between feed-grade and nutraceutical-grade meal: The krill meal co-product market is stratifying along a pronounced specification and value gradient, with nutraceutical-grade meal growing at approximately 9.5% CAGR compared to approximately 6.2% for standard feed-grade material. Producers capable of meeting nutraceutical-grade specifications at scale currently limited primarily to Norwegian operators Aker BioMarine and Rimfrost AS command structural positioning and customer retention that commodity aquafeed-grade producers cannot replicate through volume competition alone. This bifurcation is accelerating investment in dedicated on-board fractionation systems and fluoride-reduction processing infrastructure across the Norwegian operator tier.
• Certification and governance risk emerging as a structural market variable: CCAMLR's failure to renew Conservation Measure 51-07 and the formal MSC certification objections filed in March 2026 have elevated supply-side governance risk to a first-tier market variable for European ingredient buyers and aquafeed manufacturers. The near-term resolution of the MSC adjudication process is expected to define European market access conditions for certified krill meal suppliers across the 2026–2028 buying cycle, with large-volume European aquafeed purchasers potentially facing forced sourcing reviews if certification is suspended or materially conditioned ahead of the 2026/27 procurement cycle.

Krill Meal Co-Product from Krill Oil Production Market Analysis

Krill meal co-product from krill oil production market based on product grade is segmented into feed-grade de-oiled krill meal, high-protein de-oiled krill meal, and nutraceutical-grade de-oiled krill meal. The feed-grade de-oiled krill meal segment accounted for approximately 62% market share in 2025, and it is anticipated to expand at 6.2% CAGR during 2026-2035.

• Feed-grade de-oiled krill meal encompassing standard protein grades (approximately 42% of total market share) and enhanced-specification low-fluoride grades (approximately 20% share) collectively represented the majority of market volume in 2025, driven by consistent adoption within cost-oriented aquaculture diet formulations where krill meal serves as a palatability enhancer and marine phospholipid source. Standard protein grades are primarily directed at salmon and shrimp diet applications at inclusion rates typically ranging from 2% to 7%, contributing feeding stimulant functionality rather than serving as a primary protein source. Enhanced-specification low-fluoride grade exemplified by Aker BioMarine's QRILL Aqua product line and Rimfrost AS certified krill meal is growing faster at approximately 7% CAGR, driven by specification upgrade requirements of Norwegian and Chilean salmon aquafeed formulators.
• High-protein de-oiled krill meal (approximately 28% share, 7.8% CAGR) represents the structural growth segment within the premium aquafeed tier, split between salmon and salmonid-optimized (approximately 18% share, 8% CAGR) and shrimp and shellfish-optimized (approximately 10% share, 7.4% CAGR) sub-grades. Nutraceutical-grade de-oiled krill meal (approximately 10% share, 9.5% CAGR) constitutes the fastest-growing category, encompassing human protein supplement base (approximately 6% share, 9.2% CAGR) and astaxanthin-enriched functional grade (approximately 4% share, 10% CAGR) the single highest-growth individual category within the product grade segmentation structure.

• Aquaculture feed is the dominant application segment, anchored by salmon and salmonid diets in Norway and Chile and shrimp diets in South and Southeast Asian aquaculture operations. The functional value of krill meal in aquaculture diets is multidimensional improving palatability and feed intake relative to plant-protein-dominant formulations, providing marine-source phospholipids essential for early-stage salmonids, delivering natural astaxanthin for flesh pigmentation that determines commercial grade for farmed salmon, and supplying digestible protein that supports efficient feed conversion. Skretting (Nutreco) and Cargill Aqua Nutrition are among the most significant commercial purchasers of certified krill meal within the European aquafeed supply chain, incorporating QRILL Aqua and equivalent certified-origin grades into premium salmon diet formulations.
• The pet food application (approximately 16% share, 8.5% CAGR) is the market's highest-growth non-supplement segment, underpinned by rising inclusion of functional marine ingredients in super-premium and therapeutic pet food formulations across North America, Europe, and South Korea. Krill meal's differentiated functional profile combining long-chain omega-3 EPA and DHA, natural astaxanthin for coat pigmentation, and flavor compounds that enhance palatability positions it as a premium labeled additive in super-premium and therapeutic lines. Livestock and poultry feed (approximately 10% share, 5.5% CAGR), nutraceuticals and dietary supplements (approximately 9% share, 9.8% CAGR), and agricultural fertilizers (approximately 4% share, 7.2% CAGR) complete the application landscape, each representing a structurally distinct demand channel with its own specification requirements and growth trajectory.

The North America krill meal co-product from krill oil production market accounted for USD 23.7 million in 2025 and is anticipated to show lucrative growth over the forecast period.

• North America accounts for approximately 16% of the global krill meal co-product market in 2025, expanding at approximately 6.8% CAGR through 2035, driven primarily by pet food and nutraceutical supplement demand rather than aquaculture feed reflecting the comparatively limited scale of U.S. salmon aquaculture relative to Norwegian and Chilean production. U.S. super-premium pet food brands are increasingly incorporating certified low-fluoride krill meal as a labeled marine functional ingredient in formulations targeting aging, joint-sensitive, and coat-condition-focused companion animal segments, while the dietary supplement sector is expanding its krill protein and bioactive ingredient offering to health-conscious retail buyers.
• In Canada, Neptune Technologies & Bioressources (NKA™) represents the region's primary krill ingredient infrastructure, supplying North American supplement and functional food manufacturers with krill-derived protein and omega-3 ingredient solutions. Regulatory oversight by the FDA and Health Canada over novel marine ingredient labeling and Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) classifications creates compliance barriers that constrain new entrants while reinforcing the commercial position of established, certified-supply operators.

The Europe krill meal co-product from krill oil production market accounted for USD 56.2 million in 2025 and is anticipated to show lucrative growth over the forecast period.

• Europe is the largest regional market, representing approximately 38% of global demand in 2025 at a CAGR of approximately 6.2%, with Norway as the industry's operational and commercial center. Norwegian salmon aquaculture producing approximately 1.4 million tonnes of Atlantic salmon in 2024 under the Norwegian Seafood Council oversight framework represents the single largest commercial demand anchor for certified krill meal across the forecast period, with major manufacturers Skretting (Nutreco) and Cargill Aqua Nutrition operating integrated feed production facilities that purchase krill meal at scale.
• The MSC certification adjudication initiated in March 2026 following formal objections by ASOC and WWF to Aker QRILL Company's fourth recertification introduces material near-term risk to European market access, as major European retailers and food manufacturers have adopted MSC certification as a supply chain prerequisite for labeled krill-derived ingredients. Germany, the United Kingdom, and France represent the primary non-producer European consuming markets, driven by dietary supplement and functional food applications where Antarctic krill origin and certified supply chain documentation command premium positioning with retail buyers.

Asia Pacific krill meal co-product from krill oil production market accounted for approximately 32% market share in 2025 and is anticipated to show lucrative growth over the forecast period.

• Asia Pacific is the fastest-growing region at approximately 8.8% CAGR, driven by three structurally distinct demand dynamics operating in parallel across China, India, and South Korea. In China, the primary growth vector is fleet-driven supply creation: the Liaoyu Group's record 70,000-plus metric tonne krill harvest in the 2024/25 season and the March 2025 commissioning of Guangzhou Beyond Fishery's Fu Yuan Yu 9199 China's largest dedicated Antarctic krill fishing and processing vessel, featuring the country's first fully automated on-board krill shelling, processing, and packaging production line are expanding domestic supply of krill meal co-products directed toward Chinese aquaculture and the country's rapidly scaling super-premium pet food market.
• In India, shrimp aquaculture expansion under the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) framework is generating incremental demand for palatability-enhancing marine ingredients, including krill meal at 2–5% inclusion rates in Penaeus vannamei diets. South Korea represents a disproportionately high-value demand center for nutraceutical-grade and astaxanthin-enriched krill meal in functional pet food applications, with South Korean super-premium pet food manufacturers commanding retail premiums well above standard dry food formats for certified functional ingredient formulations.

Latin America krill meal co-product from krill oil production market is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 5.5% during the analysis timeframe.

• Latin America contributes approximately 9% of global krill meal co-product market demand in 2025, with Chile as both the region's primary producing country and its largest consuming market through the domestic salmon aquaculture sector the world's second-largest by production volume. Pesca Chile S.A. serves as the primary supply anchor for Chilean salmon aquafeed compounders requiring certified Antarctic krill meal, operating the Antarctic Endeavour vessel in CCAMLR Area 48.
• Brazil represents the region's primary growth market, driven by expanding shrimp and finfish aquaculture operations and the gradual introduction of functional marine ingredients into premium aquafeed formulations targeted at export-quality shrimp production. Argentina's nascent aquaculture sector and established cold-chain infrastructure provide a secondary demand base for krill meal within South American distribution networks.

Middle East & Africa market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5% during the analysis timeframe.

• The MEA region accounts for approximately 5% of global krill meal co-product demand in 2025, with market development primarily driven by the aquaculture sectors of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and South Africa. Gulf Cooperation Council aquaculture expansion programs supported by government food security initiatives and diversification strategies targeting domestic seafood supply are creating incremental demand for premium marine ingredients in high-value fish species production.
• South Africa's established marine ingredient import infrastructure provides a logistics entry point for krill meal distribution into sub-Saharan markets. While MEA remains a developing market for krill meal, the region's expanding aquaculture investment programs and growing awareness of functional marine ingredients among industrial aquafeed formulators suggest incremental penetration through the forecast period.

Krill Meal Co-Product from Krill Oil Production Market Share

Aker BioMarine Antarctic AS, Aker QRILL Company, Rimfrost AS, Jiangsu Sunline Deep Sea Fishery Co., Ltd., and Pesca Chile S.A. are significant participants in the market, with the top five players collectively holding approximately 72% combined market share in 2025.

• Market participants concentrate on production grade differentiation to serve distinct application channels including aquafeed, super-premium pet food, and nutraceutical segments maintaining competitive relevance as downstream buyers' specification requirements continue to escalate toward certified, low-fluoride, and astaxanthin-content-verified grades.
• The competitive landscape is characterized by a pronounced concentration of Antarctic catch rights within the Norwegian operator tier, particularly Aker BioMarine's vertically integrated fleet and proprietary Eco-Harvesting continuous pump technology, alongside the rapid expansion of Chinese operators whose volume growth is reshaping global supply dynamics and trade flow architecture.
• MSC certification and chain-of-custody documentation function as market access gates in Europe and increasingly in premium North American channels, giving certified Norwegian operators structural advantages in premium-priced segments that Chinese and other non-certified operators cannot easily replicate through volume competition alone.
• Strategic investment in on-board processing technology including continuous pump harvesting systems and on-vessel fractionation capability determines the achievable product grade mix per catch volume and defines a producer's ability to capture nutraceutical-grade market positioning at scale.
• The Chinese operator cohort is expanding at the fastest pace by both vessel additions and catch volume growth, competing primarily on volume within domestic aquaculture channels; the Liaoyu Group's December 2024 initiative to establish China's first Antarctic Krill Biomedical Industry Innovation Institute signals a deliberate pivot toward downstream ingredient development and domestic demand creation.
• Mergers and acquisitions activity has been limited given the capital intensity of Antarctic fishing operations and the structural dominance of Aker BioMarine, though the rapid expansion of Chinese fleet capacity suggests potential horizontal integration among Chinese operators as catch volume scales beyond near-term domestic processing capacity.
• Cold-chain logistics integrity for Antarctic co-product transport, fluoride and astaxanthin content certification, and quality assurance infrastructure are additional competitive axes defining market positioning across top-tier and mid-tier operator cohorts globally.

Krill Meal Co-Product from Krill Oil Production Market Companies

Major players operating in the krill meal co-product from krill oil production industry are:

• Aker BioMarine Antarctic AS
• Aker QRILL Company
• Rimfrost AS
• Liaoning Pelagic Fisheries / Liaoyu Antarctic Krill Tech
• Jiangsu Sunline Deep Sea Fishery Co., Ltd.
• Pesca Chile S.A.
• Neptune Technologies & Bioressources Inc.
• Hestia (Shandong) Biotech Co., Ltd.
• Bioextraction Technology LLC / Best Krill
• Shandong Hailongyuan Bio-Tech Co., Ltd.
• Qingdao Kangjing Marine Biotechnology Co., Ltd.
• Zhongguan Biotechnology (Hunchun) Co., Ltd.
• Guangzhou Beyond Fishery Co., Ltd.
• Jeong-Il Corporation
• Kitin AS

Aker BioMarine Antarctic AS (Norway) The global market leader and most vertically integrated Antarctic krill company in the world, Aker BioMarine controls more than 65% of global Antarctic krill catch through a fleet of proprietary trawlers equipped with its patented Eco-Harvesting continuous pump system a technology enabling species-selective fishing and on-board quality segregation into distinct meal grades. Its QRILL™ brand product family encompasses QRILL Aqua for salmon and shrimp aquafeed, QRILL Pet for super-premium pet food applications, and Superba Krill for human health nutrition representing the market's most commercially diversified krill ingredient portfolio. In 2024, Aker BioMarine reported a 60% year-over-year increase in China sales across the first three quarters, signaling significant domestic market penetration alongside established Norwegian and North American channels. The company's primary strategic risk through the forecast period is the MSC recertification dispute initiated in March 2026, which could affect European sales infrastructure and the premium brand value associated with certified sustainable sourcing.

Aker QRILL Company (Norway) Operating as a commercially distinct entity within the Aker group, Aker QRILL Company holds the MSC certification currently subject to formal ASOC and WWF adjudication. The company's commercial focus is on branded krill ingredient supply to European aquafeed and nutraceutical manufacturers, with a value proposition built around MSC chain-of-custody documentation as the primary competitive differentiator in sustainability-sensitive retail and industrial channels. The outcome of the 2026 certification adjudication will directly determine the company's ability to maintain premium-priced European channel access over the near-term forecast horizon.

Rimfrost AS (Norway) Rimfrost positions itself as the technically differentiated premium within the Norwegian operator cohort, concentrating on high-specification de-oiled krill meal and krill oil products targeting European and North American nutraceutical and specialty pet food buyers. Rimfrost products carry IFOS certification alongside MSC chain-of-custody programs, creating a multi-standard quality assurance stack that appeals to specialty ingredient buyers requiring documentation beyond standard MSC labeling. The company's smaller fleet scale relative to Aker BioMarine limits its volume growth ceiling, but its margin profile in nutraceutical-grade channels supports premium economics per tonne that compensate for lower absolute volumes.

Krill Meal Co-Product from Krill Oil Production Industry News

• March 2026: The Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition (ASOC) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) filed formal objections to the Marine Stewardship Council's fourth recertification of Aker QRILL Company's Antarctic krill fishery, citing inadequate assessment of localized ecosystem impacts, the absence of spatial catch distribution protections following the lapse of Conservation Measure 51-07, and accelerating climate-driven disruption of Southern Ocean predator-krill dynamics; an independent adjudication process with direct implications for European certified supply chain access was initiated.
• March 2025: Guangzhou Beyond Fishery Co., Ltd. deployed the Fu Yuan Yu 9199 China's largest purpose-built Antarctic krill fishing and processing vessel, featuring China's first fully automated on-board krill shelling, processing, and packaging production line from the Fuzhou (Lianjiang) National Pelagic Fishery Base on its maiden Antarctic voyage; Antarctic fishing operations commenced in April 2025.

The krill meal co-product from krill oil production market research report includes in-depth coverage of the industry with estimates & forecasts in terms of revenue (USD Million) & Volume (Kilo Tons) from 2022 to 2035, for the following segments:

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Market, By Product Grade

• Feed-Grade De-oiled Krill Meal
  •  Standard Protein
  •  Enhanced-Specification Low-Fluoride
• High-Protein De-oiled Krill Meal
  • Salmon & Salmonid-Optimized
  • Shrimp & Shellfish-Optimized
• Nutraceutical-Grade De-oiled Krill Meal
  • Human Protein Supplement Base
  • Astaxanthin-Enriched Functional Grade

Market, By Application

• Aquaculture Feed
  • Finfish Feed
  • Shrimp & Shellfish Feed
  • Other Species
• Pet Food
  • Dog Food
  • Cat Food
  • Others
• Livestock & Poultry Feed
  • Swine Feed
  • Poultry Feed
  • Other Livestock
• Nutraceuticals & Dietary Supplements
  • Human Protein Powder
  • Functional Food & Beverage
  • Astaxanthin & Bioactive Extraction
• Agricultural Fertilizers
  • Organic Soil Amendment
  • Slow-Release Nitrogen
• Others

The above information is provided for the following regions and countries:

• North America
  • U.S.
  • Canada
• Europe
  • Germany
  • UK
  • France
  • Italy
  • Spain
  • Rest of Europe
• Asia Pacific
  • China
  • India
  • Japan
  • South Korea
  • Australia
  • Rest of Asia Pacific
• Latin America
  • Brazil
  • Mexico
  • Argentina
  • Rest of Latin America
• MEA
  • Saudi Arabia
  • UAE
  • South Africa
  • Rest of MEA