In correspondence with Sea Shepherd Global, Rossmann confirmed that its final remaining product containing krill is being delisted, with existing stock to be sold off.

Operating more than 4,000 retail stores across continental Europe, Rossmann competes directly with dm-drogerimarkt, which has also begun phasing  out krill oil supplements and other krill-derived products across its range.

Together, Rossman and dm-drogerie markt account for roughly 85-87% of all drugstore locations in Germany. Their decisions mean that the vast majority of the German drugstore sector is committed to going krill-free.

The decision follows heightened scrutiny of the Antarctic krill fishery brought about by four consecutive Sea Shepherd expeditions to the Southern Ocean. During these campaigns, Sea Shepherd routinely documented industrial supertrawlers operating among foraging whale pods inside a proposed marine protected area. Evidence gathered at sea was submitted to retailers including Rossmann, alongside concerns about weakening regulations governing the rapidly expanding krill fishery.

Krill are a keystone species in the Southern Ocean, converting energy captured by phytoplankton into a food source that sustains whales, penguins, seals, and countless other species. When krill populations decline, the entire Antarctic ecosystem is destabilized. Scientific evidence suggests that krill densities around the Antarctic Peninsula — where much of the fishing occurs — may have declined by as much as 80% since the 1970s.

The Sea Shepherd vessel Allankay has just returned from Antarctica, facilitating the work of an independent team of scientists, studying the impact of the krill fishery on whale populations.

Last year, a key conservation measure requiring krill fishing activity to be distributed across a wider geographic area — in order to reduce the risk of localized depletion — was not renewed. As a result, fishing effort has become increasingly concentrated in biodiversity hotspots, accelerating exploitation and intensifying pressure on Antarctic wildlife.

Earlier this month, the Antarctic fur seal was listed as Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the global authority on extinction risk. Their survival depends on Antarctic krill.

This combination of evidence gathered at sea and sustained advocacy on land is now beginning to shift market forces.

The announcement by Rossmann follows on decisions made by dm and Holland & Barrett, a leading health and wellness retailer in the United Kingdom, that pioneered what has become a movement of retailers exiting the krill space. The company also introduced the Antarctic Krill Pledge together with Sea Shepherd Global — a co-authored call to action encouraging retailers to end sales of all krill-based products.

Learn more about Operation Antarctica Defense: https://www.seashepherdglobal.org/our-campaigns/antarctica-defense/