"Krill Fisheries: A Solvable Climate Catastrophe" EMA's Interview with Board Members Ashlan & Philippe Cousteau

Ashlan and Philippe Cousteau are EMA's go-to Board Members regarding the health of our oceans. For years, the Cousteau's have brought a message of hope and action regarding the sea to our annual events. 

We caught up with Ashlan and Philippe to learn more about their venture, SeaVoir Wellness, which sets the standard for regenerative business and ocean conservation. 

Ocean Restorationist jumps out to me among the many hats you both wear. What is the philosophy behind ocean restoration in comparison to conservation?  

Let's be honest: sustainability is a mediocre goal at best. We need to move beyond sustainability and embrace a restoration ethic to make a change in the world. Do we really want to "sustain" the way our world is right now? With global temperatures headed toward 2 degrees C, half the world's coral reefs gone, fisheries collapsing, forests disappearing, etc. - sustainability is not enough. We focus on reframing the conversation and leading the shift from sustainability to regenerating our natural systems.

Can you explain the connection between ocean health and the popularity of Omega 3s? Why are krill essential to protect?

Omega 3s are super beneficial to our health, but most people get their Omega 3s from fish or krill oil. These destructive fishing industries are wrecking our ocean fish stocks, which are already in a bad place, can carry toxins from the ocean (heavy metals, microplastics, PCBs, and more), and are destroying local small-scale fishing communities. And the super crazy thing is that fish and krill don't even make their own Omega 3s. They get them by eating algae! 

On top of that, krill are part of our largest carbon sink on the planet. Located in the Southern Ocean, the phytoplankton - krill - whale cycle sequesters 13 billion tons of carbon annually (yes, you read that right, 13 BILLION tons)! That's the equivalent of 35 million internal combustion cars annually. This natural system also creates more oxygen than the rainforest and is the basis of our entire ocean food web. So yeah, it's important.

But right now, krill in the Southern Ocean are being fished out of this vital system primarily for Omega 3 supplements for North America (and to a lesser extent for pet food and aquaculture feed). So, we are disrupting one of the most essential systems on our planet for supplements and pet food.

The krill fishery is the largest climate catastrophe that no one is talking about, and it's completely solvable because there is an alternative that is both better for the ocean and better for people's health.

You are entrepreneurs and founders of SeaVoir, high-quality ocean-derived products that support human health. Big business is often associated with the destruction of the planet. How are you offering a better alternative with SeaVoir? 

When we realized what was happening in the Southern Ocean, we knew we had to do something about it. Krill is critical to carbon sequestration, oxygen production, and the global marine food web. While we are also working through the political and conservation channels as board members of Antartica2020 to save the Southern Ocean, we also recognize that there is a consumer play here. If there was a shift in demand away from krill (and fish) oil for Omegas, we could completely disrupt the industry and save the Southern Ocean. 

That is why we founded SeaVoir Wellness. To give consumers the power to save the ocean every single day. But it's not just about saving the ocean; algae-based Omega 3s are also better for us. They are toxin-free, made in the USA on non-arable farmland, creating sustainable jobs, vegan, and our patented Almega PL algae oil is clinically proven to be absorbed 1.7x more than fish and krill oil. It's as simple as cutting out the middleman (or middle fish) and going straight to the source because fish and krill get their Omega 3s by eating algae. 

So, we can go to the primary source and get our Omega 3s from algae, too.

And this is a personal mission. Philippe's grandfather, Jacques Cousteau, helped spearhead the Madrid Protocol, which is the treaty that protected Antarctica's land, signed in 1991. 

We see our mission as continuing that legacy and protecting Antarctica's ocean.

As you know, we focus on hope at EMA. Are there any recent ocean wins from which we can build?

We stand strongly supporting the power of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). They work; we have seen it with our own eyes worldwide, from Cabo Pulmo, Mexico, to the Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands. 

And the recent UN Treaty of the High Seas was a monumental worldwide agreement, setting the framework for establishing MPAs in the High Seas around the planet.

And the most exciting push we see is the opportunity we have right now to establish three proposed new MPAs in the Southern Ocean. These areas are so large the action would protect 1% of our entire ocean and be the largest conservation act in humankind's history! If we come together as humans, we can do incredible things.

Finally, what are you both working on now and how can our audience follow and get involved?

Change your supplements if you take fish or krill oil (or know people who do). We are in pre-launch with SeaVoir and taking pre-orders to get the company up and running. So please join us in our mission and pre-order at Seavoir.com. Or just switch your Omega 3s to a non-fish or non-krill.

Also, we genuinely believe in the power of the ocean and the Southern Ocean. Support 30x30 and help us push for establishing the three MPAs in the Southern Ocean with the work of www.Antarctica2020.org.

Thanks, Ashlan & Philippe!