Canadian company pleads guilty to shipping banned seal oil to US

By PATRICK WHITTLE
Associated Press

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A Canadian company has pleaded guilty to violating federal law by illegally selling seal oil capsules to American customers. The oil is made from the blubber of seals and sold as a nutritional supplement with a promise of containing healthy fats. The U.S. Department of Justice says the company, FeelGood Natural Health Stores of Whitby, Ontario, was selling and transporting capsules made from harp seals. That is illegal because of the Marine Mammal Protection Act, which makes it unlawful to transport or sell any marine mammal or products made from them for most commercial purposes.