Krill harvesting and processing giant Aker BioMarine launched an unmanned solar-powered sail buoy as part of its plan to become more efficient in searching for krill.

"This is a big thing for us and something we have worked on for a long time," Director of Antarctic Affairs Pal Einar Skogrand told IntraFish.

"You spend too much time to search for fishable krill in Antarctica."

This comes as krill management is diving deeper toward being data-driven. It is also a step toward serving the wider scientific community, especially the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), which is in need of more data to research changes in the krill biomass.

Aker BioMarine is first in testing out such a technology and sees big responsibility in doing so.

The Offshore Sensing-owned buoy acts as the vessels' eyes and ears as to where to fish for krill.

"From an operational side, it will used for fishermen to read where the krill is," Skogrand said.

Is there a lack of data in the krill fishery?

The answer is no. The krill biomass is in a healthy condition and only growing. The data is also there, but it's about getting a more detailed overview of how krill moves each season, Skogrand said.

Aker BioMarine has secured an 'A' rating from the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP) for the fifth year in a row, signifying that its krill fishery, Antarctic Southern Ocean Krill, is in "very good condition."