cod Cod is the common name for the demersal fish genus '' Gadus'', belonging to the family Gadidae. Cod is also used as part of the common name for a number of other fish species, and one species that belongs to genus ''Gadus'' is commonly not call ...

Gadus ''Gadus'' is a genus of demersal fish in the family Gadidae, commonly known as cod, although there are additional cod species in other genera. The best known member of the genus is the Atlantic cod. Species Today, three species in the genus ar ...

Gadidae The Gadidae are a family of marine fish, included in the order Gadiformes, known as the cods, codfishes, or true cods. It contains several commercially important fishes, including the cod, haddock, whiting, and pollock. Most gadid species ...

pelagic The pelagic zone consists of the water column of the open ocean, and can be further divided into regions by depth (as illustrated on the right). The word ''pelagic'' is derived . The pelagic zone can be thought of as an imaginary cylinder or w ...

schooling A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compuls ...

North Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

Atlantic cod The Atlantic cod (''Gadus morhua'') is a benthopelagic fish of the family Gadidae, widely consumed by humans. It is also commercially known as cod or codling. In 2014, the U.S.

Food and Drug Administration The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a List of United States federal agencies, federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is respon ...

announced that the official scientific name for the fish was changed from ''Theragra chalcogramma'' back to its original taxon ''Gadus chalcogrammus'', highlighting its close genetic relationship to the other species of the cod genus ''Gadus''. Since 2014, registries of scientific names for fish species (e.g. the United Nations’ ASFIS list and the World Registry of Marine Species (WoRMS) have largely adopted the ''Gadus chalcogrammus'' name. The change of the official scientific name was followed by a discussion to change the common name as well, to highlight the fish as a member of the cod genus. The common names "Alaska pollock" and "walleye pollock", both used as trade names internationally, are considered misleading by scientific and trade experts, as the names do not reflect the scientific classification. While belonging to the same family as the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

pollock Pollock or pollack (pronounced ) is the common name used for either of the two species of North Atlantic marine fish in the genus ''Pollachius''. '' Pollachius pollachius'' is referred to as pollock in North America, Ireland and the United Kingd ...

, the Alaska pollock is not a member of the genus '' Pollachius'', but of the cod genus ''Gadus''. Nevertheless, alternative trade names highlighting its placement in the cod genus, such as "snow cod", "bigeye cod", or direct deductions from the scientific names such as "copperline cod" (''gadus'' meaning 'cod', la, chalco- from el, script=Latn, khalkós meaning 'copper', and el, script=Latn, grammí meaning 'line') or "lesser cod" (from the synonymous taxon ''Gadus minor'') have yet to find widespread acceptance. The

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (abbreviated as NOAA ) is an United States scientific and regulatory agency within the United States Department of Commerce that forecasts weather, monitors oceanic and atmospheric conditio ...

even states that " he common namemight never change, as common names are separate from scientific names". In addition, Norwegian pollock (''Theragra finnmarchica''), a rare fish of Norwegian waters, is likely the same species as the Alaska pollock.

Ecology

The speckled coloring of Alaska pollock makes it more difficult for predators to see them when they are near sandy ocean floors. They are a relatively fast-growing and short-lived species, currently representing a major biological component of the Bering Sea ecosystem. It has been found that catches of Alaska pollock go up three years after stormy summers. The storms stir up nutrients, and this results in phytoplankton being plentiful for longer, which in turn allows more pollock hatchlings to survive. The Alaska pollock has well-developed drumming muscles that the fish use to produce sounds during courtship, like many other

gadids The Gadidae are a family of marine fish, included in the order Gadiformes, known as the cods, codfishes, or true cods. It contains several commercially important fishes, including the cod, haddock, whiting, and pollock. Most gadid species a ...

.

Foraging behavior

The primary factor in determining the

foraging Foraging is searching for wild food resources. It affects an animal's fitness because it plays an important role in an animal's ability to survive and reproduce. Foraging theory is a branch of behavioral ecology that studies the foraging behavi ...

behavior of the Alaskan pollock is age. Young pollocks can be divided into two sub-groups, fish with

lengths Length is a measure of distance. In the International System of Quantities, length is a quantity with dimension distance. In most systems of measurement a base unit for length is chosen, from which all other units are derived. In the Intern ...

below and fish greater than 60mm. Both groups mainly feed on copepods. However, the latter group will also forage for

krill Krill are small crustaceans of the order Euphausiacea, and are found in all the world's oceans. The name "krill" comes from the Norwegian word ', meaning "small fry of fish", which is also often attributed to species of fish. Krill are consi ...

. Therefore, food depletion has a larger effect on smaller pollock. The variation in size of each subgroup also affects seasonal foraging behavior. During the winter, when food is scarce, foraging can be costly due to the fact that longer hunting time increases the risk of meeting a predator. The larger young pollocks have no need to hunt during the winter because they have a higher capacity for energy storage, while smaller fish do not, and have to continue foraging, putting them at greater risk. To maximize their chances of survival, large pollock increase their calorie intake in autumn to gain weight, while smaller ones focus solely on growing in size. Alaskan pollock exhibit diel vertical migration, following the seasonal movement of their food. Although pollocks exhibit vertical movement during the day, their average depth changes with the seasons. Originally, the change in depth was attributed to the amount of light or water temperature, but in fact, it follows the movement of food species. In August, when food is abundantly available near the surface, pollocks will be found at shallower depths. In November, they are found deeper along with their planktonic food source.

Distribution

Alaska pollock in the Pacific Ocean

The Alaska pollock's main habitats are the coastal areas of the Northern

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contine ...

, especially the waters off

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S. ...

(Eastern Bering Sea,

Gulf of Alaska The Gulf of Alaska (Tlingit: ''Yéil T'ooch’'') is an arm of the Pacific Ocean defined by the curve of the southern coast of Alaska, stretching from the Alaska Peninsula and Kodiak Island in the west to the Alexander Archipelago in the east ...

,

Aleutian Islands The Aleutian Islands (; ; ale, Unangam Tanangin,”Land of the Aleuts", possibly from Chukchi ''aliat'', "island"), also called the Aleut Islands or Aleutic Islands and known before 1867 as the Catherine Archipelago, are a chain of 14 large v ...

) as well as off

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

, Japan and Korea (Western Bering Sea and Sea of Okhotsk). The largest concentrations of Alaska pollock are found in the eastern Bering Sea.

Small populations in the Arctic Ocean (Barents Sea)

Very small populations of fish genetically identical to ''Gadus chalcogrammus'' are found in the

Barents Sea The Barents Sea ( , also ; no, Barentshavet, ; russian: Баренцево море, Barentsevo More) is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean, located off the northern coasts of Norway and Russia and divided between Norwegian and Russian territo ...

waters of northern Norway and Russia. This fish was initially described as its own species under the taxon ''Theragra finnmarchica'' by Norwegian zoologist

Einar Koefoed Einar Laurentius Koefoed (1875–1963) was a Danish-born marine biologist who spent most of his professional career in Norway. '' Searsia koefoedi'' (Koefoed's searsid) is named after Einar Koefoed. Also the genus '' Einara'' might be named aft ...

in 1956. The common name used for the fish was "Norway pollock". Genetic analyses have shown that the fish is genetically identical to the Alaska pollock. It is therefore considered to be

conspecific Biological specificity is the tendency of a characteristic such as a behavior or a biochemical variation to occur in a particular species. Biochemist Linus Pauling stated that "Biological specificity is the set of characteristics of living organis ...

with the Pacific species and is attributed to ''Gadus chalcogrammus''. The history of the species in the Barents Sea is unknown. The initial specification as an own species by Koefoed was based on two specimens landed in

Berlevåg ( sme, Bearalváhki) is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Øst-Finnmark. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Berlevåg. There are two settlements in th ...

, northern Norway, in 1932 (hence the

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

name, ). Based on morphological differences, Koefoed considered ''Theragra finnmarchica'' a new species, related to but separate from the Alaska pollock. Just seven specimens of the fish are known to have been caught between 1957 and early 2002 in the Arctic Ocean. In 2003 and 2004, 31 new specimens were caught. All specimens were large ( in total length) and caught in the coastal waters between

Vesterålen Vesterålen is a district and archipelago in Nordland county, Norway. It is located just north of Lofoten and west of Harstad. It is the northernmost part of Nordland county. Sortland is the largest town, situated near the center of the archipe ...

in the west and

Varangerfjord The Varangerfjord ( en, Varanger Fjord; russian: Варангер-фьорд, Варяжский залив; fi, Varanginvuono; sme, Várjavuonna) is the easternmost fjord in Norway, north of Finland. The fjord is located in Troms og Finnmark co ...

in the east. By 2006, 54 individuals had been recorded. Sequencing of mitochondrial DNA of two specimens of ''Theragra finnmarchica'' and 10 ''Theragra chalcogramma'' (today: ''Gadus chalcogrammus'') revealed no significant genetic differences, leading Ursvik et al. to suggest that ''T. finnmarchica'' and ''T. chalcogramma'' are the same species. An analysis of a much larger sample size (44 ''T. finnmarchica'' and 20 ''T. chalcogramma'') using both genetic and morphological methods led to similar conclusions. While the putative species could not be separated genetically, they showed some consistent differences in morphology. Only one characteristic showed no overlap. Byrkjedal et al. conclude that ''T. finnmarchica'' should be considered a junior synonym of ''T. chalcogramma''. These analyses also suggest that ''T. finnmarchica'' is a near relative of the

Atlantic cod The Atlantic cod (''Gadus morhua'') is a benthopelagic fish of the family Gadidae, widely consumed by humans. It is also commercially known as cod or codling. Norway pollock (''Theragra finnmarchica'') was listed as

Near Threatened A near-threatened species is a species which has been categorized as "Near Threatened" (NT) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as that may be vulnerable to endangerment in the near future, but it does not currently qualify f ...

in the 2010 Norwegian Red List for Species based on criteria D1: "Very small or geographically very restricted population: Number of mature individuals". It is currently not listed in the

IUCN Red List The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biol ...

.

Fisheries

The Alaska pollock has been said to be "the largest remaining source of palatable fish in the world". Around of Alaska pollock are caught each year in the North Pacific, from

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S. ...

to northern Japan. Alaska pollock is the world's second most important fish species, after the

Peruvian anchoveta The Peruvian anchoveta (''Engraulis ringens'') is a species of fish of the anchovy family, Engraulidae, from the Southeast Pacific Ocean. It has yielded greater catches than any other single wild fish species in the world, with annual harvests ...

, in terms of total catch. Alaska pollock landings are the largest of any single fish species in the U.S, with the average annual Eastern Bering Sea catch between 1977 and 2021 being 1.195 million tons. Alaska pollock catches from U.S. fisheries have been relatively consistent at approximately 1.3 million tons a year, on average 92 percent from the Bering Sea and 8 percent from the Gulf of Alaska. Each year's quota is adjusted based on stock assessments conducted by the Alaska Fisheries Science Center to prevent overfishing. For example quotas were reduced from 2008-2010 in the Bering Sea due to stock declines. Independent certification groups have hailed the fishery as an example of good management. For example, the Gulf of Alaska and Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands fisheries were separately certified as "sustainable" by the

Marine Stewardship Council The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) is a non-profit organization which aims to set standards for sustainable fishing. Fisheries that wish to demonstrate they are well-managed and sustainable compared to the MSC's standards are assessed by a te ...

(MSC) in 2005, and were certified in 2010 and 2016. The fisheries received a combined re-certification in 2020. The

Marine Conservation Society The Marine Conservation Society is a UK based not-for-profit organization working with businesses, governments and communities to clean and protect the oceans. Founded in 1983, the group claims to be working towards "cleaner, better-protected, h ...

rates Alaska pollock harvested from the Gulf of Alaska, Bering Sea, and Aleutian Islands as sustainable, but not those from the Western Bering Sea in Russian waters. In 2021, the MSC awarded the U.S. trade associations ''Association of Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers'' (GAPP) and ''At-Sea Processors Association'' with its ''Ocean Champion Award'' that recognizes organizations for meeting MSC's commitment to a healthier ocean and a more transparent supply chain. The MSC recognized Alaska pollock from U.S. fisheries as one of the "healthiest" and "most sustainable sources" of protein. File:Pollock larva.jpg, File:Juvenile pollock.jpg, File:Alaska pollock 2.jpg, File:Alaska pollock catch.jpg, , alt= of Alaska pollock in a net on a trawler's deck

As food

Compared to other

cod Cod is the common name for the demersal fish genus '' Gadus'', belonging to the family Gadidae. Cod is also used as part of the common name for a number of other fish species, and one species that belongs to genus ''Gadus'' is commonly not call ...

species and

pollock Pollock or pollack (pronounced ) is the common name used for either of the two species of North Atlantic marine fish in the genus ''Pollachius''. '' Pollachius pollachius'' is referred to as pollock in North America, Ireland and the United Kingd ...

, Alaska pollock has a milder taste, whiter color and lower oil content.

Fillets

High-quality, single-frozen whole Alaska pollock fillets may be layered into a block mold and deep-frozen to produce fish blocks that are used throughout

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

and North America as the raw material for high-quality breaded and battered fish products. Lower-quality, double-frozen fillets or minced trim pieces may also be frozen in block forms and used as raw material for lower-quality, low-cost breaded and battered

fish sticks Fish fingers (British English) or fish sticks (American English) are a processed food made using a whitefish, such as cod, hake, haddock, shark or pollock, which has been battered or breaded. They are commonly available in the frozen fo ...

and portions. A life-cycle assessment on the carbon footprint of Alaska pollock, performed by a sustainability consulting firm, showed that Alaska pollock fillet has a lower carbon footprint and delivers more protein per kilogram of greenhouse gas emissions than many other animal proteins, including beef, chicken, cod, and even plant-based options. Alaska pollock is commonly used in the fast food industry in products such as

McDonald's McDonald's Corporation is an American multinational fast food chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechristened their business as a hambur ...

Filet-O-Fish The Filet-O-Fish is a fish sandwich (or burger) sold by the international fast food restaurant chain McDonald's. It was created in 1962 by Lou Groen, a McDonald's franchise owner in Cincinnati, Ohio, in response to falling hamburger sales on ...

sandwich, Burger King Big Fish Sandwich,

Wendy's Wendy's is an American international fast food restaurant chain founded by Dave Thomas (1932–2002) on November 15, 1969, in Columbus, Ohio. Its headquarters moved to Dublin, Ohio, on January 29, 2006. As of December 31, 2018, Wendy's was t ...

Crispy Panko Fish Sandwich,

Arby's Arby's is an American fast food sandwich restaurant chain with more than 3,300 restaurants system wide and third in terms of revenue. In October 2017, ''Food & Wine'' called Arby's "America's second largest sandwich chain (after Subway)". Arby ...

King's Hawaiian Fish Deluxe,

Arby's Arby's is an American fast food sandwich restaurant chain with more than 3,300 restaurants system wide and third in terms of revenue. In October 2017, ''Food & Wine'' called Arby's "America's second largest sandwich chain (after Subway)". Arby ...

Crispy Fish Sandwich,

Arby's Arby's is an American fast food sandwich restaurant chain with more than 3,300 restaurants system wide and third in terms of revenue. In October 2017, ''Food & Wine'' called Arby's "America's second largest sandwich chain (after Subway)". Arby ...

Spicy Fish Sandwich,

Long John Silver's Long John Silver's (formerly known as Long John Silver's Seafood Shoppes and sometimes abbreviated as LJS) is an American chain of fast-food restaurants that specializes in seafood. The brand's name is derived from the novel ''Treasure Island ...

Baja Fish Taco, Bojangles Bojangular,

Birds Eye Birds Eye is an American international brand of frozen foods owned by Conagra Brands in the United States, by Nomad Foods in Europe, and Simplot in Australia. The former Birds Eye Company Ltd., originally named "Birdseye Seafood, Inc." had b ...

's Fish Fingers in Crispy Batter, 7-Eleven's Fish Bites, White Castle's Panko Breaded Fish Sliders, and

Captain D's Captain D's is an American fast casual restaurant chain that specializes in seafood and is headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. The chain was founded as Mr. D's Seafood and Hamburgers by Raymond L. Danner Sr. on August 15, 1969, in Donelson, T ...

Seafood Kitchen. Some of these items are seasonal offerings to coincide with the Lent calendar where seafood demand is higher.

Surimi

Single-frozen Alaska pollock is considered to be the premier raw material for '' surimi''. The most common use of surimi in the United States is " imitation crabmeat", though it is often seen labeled in retailers and grocers as "surimi seafood" sticks, flakes, or chunks. There are five main forms of surimi seafood: chunk, leg, flake, salad, and shred. A lifecycle assessment on the carbon footprint of Alaska Pollock, performed b
Quantis
a sustainability consulting firm, showed that surimi made from minced Alaska Pollock has a lower carbon footprint and delivers more protein per KG of greenhouse gas emissions than many other animal proteins, including beef, chicken, and even plant-based options.

Pollock roe

Pollock roe Pollock roe, also pollack roe (also known as ''myeongnan'' and ''tarako'') is the roe of Alaska pollock (''Gadus chalcogrammus'') which, despite its name, is a species of cod. Salted pollock roe is a popular culinary ingredient in Korean, Jap ...

is a popular culinary ingredient in

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

, Japan, and

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

. In Korea, the roe is called (, literally 'Alaska pollock's roe'), and the salted roe is called (, literally 'pollock roe ''

jeotgal ''Jeotgal'' () or ''jeot'' (), translated as salted seafood, is a category of salted preserved dishes made with seafood such as shrimps, oysters, clams, fish, and roe. Depending on the ingredients, ''jeotgal'' can range from flabby, solid piec ...

''). The food was introduced to Japan after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, and since has been called () in Japanese. A milder, less spicy version is usually called (, literally 'cod's roe'), which is also the Japanese name for pollock roe itself. In Russia, pollock roe is consumed as a sandwich spread. The product, resembling liquid paste due to the small size of eggs and oil added, is sold canned.

Use as food in Korea

Alaska pollock is considered the "national fish" of

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

. The Korean name of the fish, (), has also spread to some neighbouring countries: it is called () in

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

and its roe is called () in Japan, although the Japanese name for the fish itself is (). In Korea, is called thirty-odd additional names, including (, fresh), (, frozen), (, dried), (, dried in winter with repeated freezing and thawing), (, dried young), and (, half-dried young). Koreans have been eating Alaska pollock since the Joseon era. One of the earliest mentions is from '' Seungjeongwon ilgi'' (''Journal of the Royal Secretariat''), where a 1652 entry stated: "The management administration should be strictly interrogated for bringing in pollock roe instead of cod roe." Alaska pollocks were the most commonly caught fish in Korea in 1940, when more than 270,000

tonne The tonne ( or ; symbol: t) is a unit of mass equal to 1000 kilograms. It is a non-SI unit accepted for use with SI. It is also referred to as a metric ton to distinguish it from the non-metric units of the short ton ( United State ...

s were caught from the

Sea of Japan The Sea of Japan is the marginal sea between the Japanese archipelago, Sakhalin, the Korean Peninsula, and the mainland of the Russian Far East. The Japanese archipelago separates the sea from the Pacific Ocean. Like the Mediterranean Sea, i ...

(East Sea). It outnumbers the current annual consumption of Alaska pollock in

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...

, estimated at about 260,000

tonne The tonne ( or ; symbol: t) is a unit of mass equal to 1000 kilograms. It is a non-SI unit accepted for use with SI. It is also referred to as a metric ton to distinguish it from the non-metric units of the short ton ( United State ...

s in 2016. Nowadays, however, Alaska pollock consumption in South Korea rely heavily on import from

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

, due to rises in sea water temperatures. In 2019, South Korea imposed a total ban on pollock fishing "to help replenish depleted stocks" of the fish.

References

External links

*
NOAA NMFS: U.S. Seafood FactsFISHINFOnetwork Market Report 04/07FishBase: Alaska PollockAlaska pollock fishery profiles
Status of these fisheries, summarised on FisheriesWiki {{Authority control Gadus Theragra Fish of the Pacific Ocean Fish of the United States Commercial fish Fish described in 1814 Taxa named by Peter Simon Pallas Fish of Korea

Name and differentiation

Ecology

Foraging behavior

Distribution

Alaska pollock in the Pacific Ocean

Small populations in the Arctic Ocean (Barents Sea)

Fisheries

As food

Fillets

Surimi

Pollock roe

Use as food in Korea

References

External links