The ringed seal (Pusa hispida) is the smallest and most abundant seal species in the Arctic. It gets its name from the light-coloured ring patterns on its dark grey coat. Ringed seals are found throughout the Arctic Ocean and surrounding seas, from northern Canada and Alaska to Scandinavia and Russia.
Ringed seal has been a cornerstone of Inuit and other Indigenous Arctic diets for thousands of years. The meat, liver, and blubber provide essential fats, protein, and micronutrients that are difficult to obtain from other food sources in polar environments. Seal hunting remains culturally and nutritionally significant for many northern communities today.
Ringed seal is not part of the Australian food system. It appears in nutritional databases primarily through records from Indigenous food surveys in North America, where it remains an important traditional food.
How it's produced
Ringed seals are exclusively wild-harvested. They are hunted by Indigenous communities using methods that have been refined over millennia, including hunting at breathing holes in sea ice, at the ice edge, or in open water. Hunters typically use rifles, and traditional knowledge of seal behaviour, ice conditions, and seasonal movements guides the hunt.
The harvest is regulated by wildlife management agreements between Indigenous organisations and government agencies in Canada, Alaska, and other Arctic nations. Ringed seal populations are generally considered stable, though climate change and the loss of sea ice — which the seals depend on for pupping and resting — pose long-term threats to the species.
What it costs the planet (per kilo)
≈ Estimated from its category — typical for other red meat, not measured for this item yet. Sources & methods →
What comes from this
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