Aker QRILL responds to Paul Watson fundraising campaign with vessel offer.
Aker QRILL Company has issued an open letter to the Captain Paul Watson Foundation after a fundraising campaign sought to finance a vessel to confront Norwegian krill operators in Antarctica.
The fundraising drive, launched in November last year, aimed to raise NOK 1.1 million to purchase a fast rigid inflatable boat for use in the Southern Ocean. According to Aker QRILL, the campaign closed after raising NOK 113,560, well short of its target.
In response, Aker QRILL chief executive Webjørn Barstad offered the foundation the use of one of the company’s own Antarctic support vessels to observe its operations firsthand. The letter was published as a full-page advertising feature in the Australian newspaper Prom Coast News this week .
The Captain Paul Watson Foundation, founded by the activist behind Sea Shepherd, has criticised Antarctic krill harvesting and has previously engaged in direct-action campaigns targeting marine industries. The recent fundraising effort was intended to enable on-water monitoring and potential confrontation of Norwegian krill vessels operating in Antarctic waters.
In its letter, Aker QRILL said the Antarctic krill fishery is regulated under CCAMLR, a 27-nation science-based management regime that sets precautionary catch limits at well below 1% of estimated biomass and requires independent observers and continuous reporting on vessels..
The company described the fishery as one of the most transparent in the world and said it welcomed scrutiny.
The exchange underscores continuing tension between environmental campaign groups and companies active in the Antarctic krill sector, which supplies marine ingredients for aquafeed and human health products.