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Seal Oil: The Other Seal Product

Seal oil capsules

Harp seals have a thick layer of blubber underneath their skin, which protects them from the freezing temperatures of the North Atlantic. The oil obtained from this blubber layer is sold in capsules as a nutrition supplement. The oil is reputed to taste bad, resulting in the fact that it is not sold for direct use in food (as flax seed oil, hemp seed oil, and chia seed oil are).

NuTan Furs, formerly known as Atlantic Marine Products, is a major purveyor of harp seal oil (along with pelts). This company is owned by the large seafood distributor, the Barry Group. One company that purchases Atlantic Marine Products' harp seal oil is Terra Nova Fishery Products, founded by Dr. Cosmas Ho, a Newfoundland researcher and entrepreneur. If you wish to comment on his line of research, you can email him here. Another brand of seal oil capsules is Omega 3 Plus+. You can help the seals by alerting those who take omega-3 supplements about the origins of these products.

Note that neither company sells to the U.S. (legally) because all marine mammal products, including harp seal oil and pelts, are prohibited in the U.S. thanks to the Marine Mammal Protection Act. If you see seal oil capsules in the United States (sometimes marketed as marine oil capsules), please contact the National Marine Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement at (301) 427-2300.

Sources of Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Atlantic Marine Products produces a brochure that states, "Marine oil, derived from the North Atlantic Harp Seal, has been identified as a rich source of Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids." However, flax seed oil (also known as linseed oil), hemp seed oil, and chia seed oil are richer sources of omega-3 fatty acids.

The main difference between animal sources of omega-3 fatty acids and plant sources, such as flax seed oil, is the prevalence of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) in animal sources (including fatty fish oils) versus alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) in plant foods. Most plant foods have essentially no EPA or DHA; however, the ultimate source of DHA and EPA is actually marine plants - microalgae. Fish consume them and concentrate the fatty acids in their tissues. The fatty acids then travel up the food chain as predatory fish and marine mamals eat prey fish.

Some ALA is converted to DHA and EPA in the human body. Researchers have found a range in the efficiency of conversion of just a few percent to over 10%. Research has suggested that ALA is important in cardiovascular health, and DHA and EPA are important for the cardiovascular and nervous systems and eye health.

There are many ways in which one can consume enough ALA, DHA, and EPA without harming seals or even consuming any animal products. What's more, all marine mammals now have high levels of mercury and other pollutants, including dioxins and PCB's (from man-made pollution) in their bodies, mostly concentrated in the fatty tissue. This has resulted in high levels of mercury in the tissues of the Inuit people of Newfoundland and Labrador, who consume seals, whales, and other marine mammals in their traditional diet.

Some of the companies that sell seal oil supplements claim that their products have been sufficiently purified. In order to prove that, they would need to provide a certificate of analysis from an independent testing laboratory. As a reference, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has issued a recommended maximum daily exposure limit of the dioxin 2,3,7,8- tetrachlorodibenzo para-dioxin (TCDD) of 0.7 pg/kg-day. This means that a 150 lb person should not consume more than 47.7 pg of TCDD per day.

In 2010, a group of environmentalists had samples of fish oil supplements tested for PCB's. These supplements would have lower concentrations of contaminants to begin with than marine mammal oils due to the higher position of marine mammals on the food chain. Three of the tested supplements had higher levels than the maximum concentration of 90 ng per day set by California law.

Thus for optimal health, consider using one of the best sources of ALA, such as flax seeds/flax seed oil or hemp seeds/hemp seed oil in combination with a DHA or DHA/EPA supplement.

Several companies offer DHA and EPA supplements that are free of animal products.

A few of these are

Deva ('Vegan Omega-3 DHA' and 'Vegan Omega-3 DHA-EPA')

Spectrum ('Vegetarian DHA')

Source Naturals ('DHA Neuromins®')

Schiff ('MegaRed® Plant-Omega')