The biomass-free esterified crude extract is purified by silver silica gel chromatography to obtain a highly pure (>96% pure) EPA ester and esters of the other fatty acids present in the alga. The solvents used in chromatography (i.e., hexane and acetone) are recovered by evaporation of the eluted fractions. The solvents are recycled. Possible alternatives or adjuncts to using silver silica gel chromatography include membrane-based selective enrichment of EPA, supercritical chromatography, kinetic resolution, and winterization. Processes such as urea complexation and preparative HPLC are of limited value in the commercial purification of EPA.