What is so unique about ratfish liver oil?
The Vikings and Scandinavian fishermen considered the oil derived from the large oily liver of the ratfish as a precious gift from the sea. They used this rare oil for maintaining general health as well as for specific purposes, including wound healing and the treatment of general debility, infections, irritations of the respiratory and alimentary tracts and glandular disease.* It was also applied topically to decrease inflammation and pain, to promote the healing of wounds, and as a skin elixir.*
Legend has it that the Vikings would hang a ratfish up by the head, and after a period of time, the liver oil would start to drip from the end of its very long tail. The Vikings would then collect this very special oil. Unlike cod, ratfish are mainly confined to the deep waters and as such, were not in plentiful supply for the Vikings, who considered the oil from their liver to be a very rare and precious gift from the sea, naming it “gold of the ocean.”
Ratfish are a non-commercial bycatch deep-water fish species which are seldom caught. The average harvest by our fishermen, for each net, is less than one fish! As a result, Rosita® Ratfish Liver Oil is a limited resource.
There are additional reasons for the low production rate, which are related to our own strict demands for producing the highest quality fish liver oil possible.
We have limited harvesting in our protected and remote waters to special times of the year, when the fish flourish and thrive and produce livers that are beautiful. This, in concert with the time-consuming, gentle cold extraction techniques (at the expense of yield), makes our production very specialized and limited.
In contrast to highly processed refined fish liver oils, our wild extra-virgin handcrafted ratfish liver oils follow the natural rhythm of changes in seasons and feeding cycles of the fish. Therefore, each batch may vary slightly in appearance, flavor and nutrient levels, but will always retain its original nutritional integrity.