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Pollock (or pollack, pronounced the same,  /ˈpɒlək/, and listed first in most UK and US dictionaries) is the common name used for either of the two species of marine fish in the Pollachius genus. Both P. pollachius and P. virens are commonly referred to as pollock. Other names for P. pollachius include the Atlantic pollock, European pollock, lieu jaune, and lythe; while P. virens is sometimes known as Boston blues (distinct from bluefish), coalfish (or coley), silver bills or saithe.

Species

There are currently two recognized species in this genus: ^[1]

• Pollachius pollachius (Linnaeus, 1758) (Pollack)
• Pollachius virens (Linnaeus, 1758) (Saithe)

Description

Both species can grow to 3 ft 6 in (1.07 m) and can weigh up to 46 lb (21 kg). The fish has a strongly-defined, silvery lateral line running down the sides. Above the lateral line, the color is a greenish black. The belly is white. It can be found in water up to 100 fathoms (180 m) deep over rocks, and anywhere in the water column. Pollock are a "whitefish".

Other fish called pollock

One member of the genus Gadus also are commonly referred to as pollock. This is the Alaska pollock or walleye pollock (Theragra chalcogramma) including the form known as the Norwegian pollock. While related (they are also members of the family Gadidae) to the above pollock species, they are not members of the Pollachius genus. Alaska pollock generally spawn in late winter and early spring on Southeast Bering Sea. The Alaska pollock is a significant part of the commercial fishery in the Gulf of Alaska.^[2]

Parasites

Pollock and other species of gadids are plagued by parasites, one of which is the cod worm, Lernaeocera branchialis, indeed a copepod crustacean. At its final stage, the female parasite, with fertilized eggs, clings to the gills of the fish and metamorphoses into a plump, sinusoidal, wormlike body, with a coiled mass of egg strings at the rear.

Fisheries

Global commercial capture of pollock in million tonnes 1950–2010^[3]

The total capture of pollock in 2010 reported by the FAO was 3.2 million tonnes ^[3]

As food

This article is one of a series on
Commercial fish
Large pelagic
billfish, bonito mackerel, salmon shark, tuna
Forage
anchovy, herring menhaden, sardine shad, sprat
Demersal
cod, eel, flatfish pollock, ray
Mixed
carp, tilapia

Atlantic pollock is largely considered to be a whitefish, although it is a fairly strongly flavored one. Traditionally a popular source of food in some countries, such as Norway, in the United Kingdom it has previously been largely consumed as a cheaper and versatile alternative to cod and haddock in the West Country, elsewhere being known mostly for its traditional use as "Pollack for puss / coley for the cat." However, in recent years pollock has become more popular due to over-fishing of cod and haddock. It can now be found in most supermarkets as fresh fillets or prepared freezer items. For example, when minced, it is the primary component of fish fingers and popcorn fish.

It is often the common ingredient used to create imitation crab meat.

Because of its slightly gray color, pollock is often prepared, as in Norway, as fried fish balls, or if juvenile sized, breaded with oatmeal and fried, as in Shetland. Year-old fish are traditionally split, salted and dried over a peat hearth in Orkney, where their texture becomes wooden and somewhat phosphorescent. The fish can also be salted and smoked and achieve a salmon-like orange color (although it is not closely related to the salmon), as is the case in Germany where the fish is commonly sold as Seelachs or sea salmon. In Korea, pollock may be repeatedly frozen and melted to createhwangtae, half-dried to create ko-da-ri, or fully dried and eaten as book-o.

In 2009, U.K. supermarket Sainsbury's renamed pollock 'Colin' in a bid to boost ecofriendly sales of the fish as an alternative to cod.^[4] The supermarket also suggested some shoppers may be too embarrassed to ask for the species under its proper title, due to its reputation as an inferior fish, and its similarity to a popular English swear word (bollocks). Sainsbury's, which said the new name was derived from the French for cooked pollock (colin), launched the product under the banner "Colin and chips can save British cod."

References

1. ^ Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2012). Species of Pollachius in FishBase. April 2012 version.
2. ^ C.Michael Hogan. 2011. Gulf of Alaska. Topic ed. P.Saundry. Ed.-in-chief C.J.Cleveland. Encyclopedia of Earth. National council for Science and the Environment.
3. ^ ^{a b} Based on data sourced from the relevant FAO Species Fact Sheets
4. ^ A colin and chips? Sainsbury's gives unfashionable pollack a makeover | Business | The Guardian

• Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2006). Species of Pollachius in FishBase. June 2006 version.
• Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2006). "Pollachius pollachius" in FishBase. June 2006 version.
• Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2006). "Pollachius virens" in FishBase. June 2006 version.
• Davidson, Alan. Oxford Companion to Food (1999), “Saithe”, p. 682. ISBN 0-19-211579-0
• Norum, Ben. Big Book of Ben, The (2007), "pollock / pollack", p. 32