The spotted seal (Phoca largha) is a true seal found in the seasonally ice-covered waters of the North Pacific, including the Bering, Chukchi, and Okhotsk seas, and along the coasts of Alaska, Russia, northern China, and the Korean Peninsula. It is closely related to the harbour seal and was once considered the same species.
Spotted seals are solitary or found in small groups, hauling out on sea ice during breeding season and on coastal beaches and sandbars in summer. Adults weigh 65 to 115 kilograms and are covered in a light grey to silver coat with dark spots.
Spotted seal has been an important food source for Indigenous communities across Alaska and the Russian Far East for thousands of years. The blubber, meat, and organs are all consumed, and the skins are used for clothing and other purposes. In the USDA database, spotted seal appears as part of American Indian and Alaska Native food traditions. Subsistence harvesting continues under wildlife management agreements that recognise Indigenous rights and the cultural importance of seal hunting.
How it's produced
Spotted seal is exclusively taken through subsistence hunting by Indigenous peoples, primarily in Alaska and the Russian Far East. Hunting is conducted from small boats or at haul-out sites along the coast and ice edge, using rifles. The entire animal is typically used — meat and organs for food, blubber rendered for oil, and skins processed for clothing and crafts.
This hunting is regulated under the Marine Mammal Protection Act in the United States, which permits subsistence harvest by Alaska Natives while prohibiting commercial take. Population monitoring is conducted through aerial surveys and community-based observation programs to ensure sustainable harvest levels.
What it costs the planet (per kilo)
≈ Estimated from its category — typical for other red meat, not measured for this item yet. Sources & methods →
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