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Conserving the world’s fish stocks is vital to maintaining global biodiversity. It has long been argued and illustrated by the cod collapse in Canada, however, that fishing per se is not the issue. Rather, it is industrial fishing practices that put populations at risk. Modern fishing practices, what Greenpeace has called “Industrial ‘Hoover’ Fishing,” sweep the oceans clean. More than 10 years ago, the environmental watchdog reported that 70 percent of the world’s fish stocks were almost fully exploited.
Such losses do not occur because of the over-fishing of target commercial species. Great environmental damage results from the by-catch — immature and unwanted fish species, dolphins, sharks, seabirds, whales and turtles — accidentally caught each year. Greenpeace estimates that by-catch constitutes approximately one-quarter of the world’s annual sea harvest; typically, all of these species are discarded or killed.
Consumers can eat fish with confidence if the source they choose is a sustainable one. This sustainable reasoning extends to the use of Omega-3 fish oil supplements as well. Jamieson Omega-3 supplements are made using the oil of small species, such as anchovy and sardine. Chosen first for their nutritional quality, these are plankton-feeding species with a shorter life span so they exhibit lower levels of contaminants that normally bioaccumulate in the fat-reserves of large, long-lived predatory species.
Furthermore, every batch of Omega-3 fish oil used in Jamieson supplements is tested for contaminants before entering the production cycle. To ensure quality during the production process, the oil is purified and must pass more than 200 quality-control tests before microencapsulation. In addition, the products are subjected to more than 360 clinical purity tests at Jamieson Laboratories.
In support of a sustainable harvest, our Omega-3 oils are derived from fish — anchovy (95 to 99 percent) and sardine (1 to 5 percent) — that are caught by the fishmeal industry off the South American coast, where the Antarctic and Pacific oceans meet. Peru's main species of the fishmeal and fish oil industries is the anchovy. It has been sustainably harvested for the past 50 years because the government and the Marine Institute of Peru impose and monitor responsible-catch policies and constraints, such as restricting the number of licensed participants and limiting the duration of the fishing season.
Thanks to the use of essential fatty acids in supplements, no waste is left from this industry.
Jamieson Laboratories believes that the use of Omega-3 fish oils, whether dietary or supplemental, is only one part of a healthy lifestyle. That said, science supports the benefits of these essential fatty acids. According to research cited by Health Canada, a balanced ratio of adequate EPA and DHA per day helps:
• support cognitive health and/or brain function (Haag 2003; Morris et al. 2003; IOM 2002)
• support the development of the brain, eyes and nerves in children and adolescents (Marszalek and Lodish 2005; Haag 2003; IOM 2002)
• maintain and support cardiovascular health (Oh 2005; Wang et al. 2004; Leaf et al. 2003; Kris-Etherton et al. 2002)
• reduce serum triglycerides/triacylglycerols (Oh 2005; Balk et al. 2004; Hooper et al. 2004; Nilsen et al. 2001; Sirtori et al. 1998), and
• in conjunction with conventional therapy, reduce the pain of rheumatoid arthritis in adults (Volker et al. 2000; Sköldstam et al. 1992).
Marine-based Omega-3 oils are the kind best utilized by the human body. Consumers who remain concerned about the use of fish products, however, can derive plant-sourced ALA Omega-3 from flax, chia or salba.
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