If you have ever eaten a fish stick, then you have probably had Alaska pollock. This popular, mild tasting fish adapts well to many different cooking methods and flavors.

In addition to fish sticks and other breaded or battered fish products, Alaska pollock is used to make imitation crab, shrimp and scallop meat. With this range of appeal and demand, it comes as no surprise that Alaska pollock is the largest commercial fishery in the world. Try Alaska pollock as northwest fish and chips or pan-poached pollack piccata.

Also known as:

 Alaska pollock, walleye pollock, bigeye pollock, bigeye cod, snow cod, whiting, tomcod and Pacific pollock.

Availability:

 Frozen year round; fresh and frozen during fall and winter

Product forms:

 Fillets, frozen and fresh; surimi (imitation crab meat)

Shopping tips:

 Look for fillets that were frozen at sea—these will be higher quality than the fillets frozen in shore-based processing plants. If you are shopping for imitation crab, shrimp or scallop meat, look for a variety with a high fish content, and no corn starch.

Substitutions:

 Alaska pollock can be used as a substitution for any whitefish, including Atlantic cod, Atlantic pollock, flounder or sole.

Recipes:

Northwest fish and chips

Pan-poached pollack piccata
Pollock fishery: Alaska pollock is typically fished using pelagic or mid-water trawl nets. More.

Conservation notes:

 Alaska pollock is considered an ocean-friendly seafood choice because it is a fast-growing fish and the fishing gear used does not cause significant habitat destruction. More.
Last updated: February 2009

Pollock Fishery

Most U.S.-caught Alaska pollock is harvested from the Bering Sea, with a smaller amount caught in the Gulf of Alaska. Alaska pollock is the largest fishery in the U.S. (by volume) and is considered one of the best managed fisheries in the world. Alaska pollock is also the focus of an extensive amount of research. The pelagic trawl gear used to target Alaska pollock has less contact with the ocean floor, and therefore is less likely to damage sensitive ocean floor habitats than gear such as bottom trawls.

Conservation Notes

Some fishes grow very slowly, which means their populations do not recover quickly when they are overfished. However, since Alaska pollock is a fast-growing species, it can handle a relatively high amount of fishing pressure without risking the population’s survival.

Many types of commercial fishing gear can cause significant habitat destruction, or may catch large numbers of unwanted fishes and other animals. The mid-water or “pelagic” trawl gear used to catch Alaska pollock is highly efficient, and has a very low rate of bycatch relative to the amount of harvested pollock. Mid-water gear is not in constant contact with the ocean floor, thus it has less impacts on benthic habitats than bottom trawl gear, which is dragged continuously across the ocean floor.