Alaska pollock (Theragra chalcogramma)

Scientific name: Theragra chalcogramma Pallas, 1814

The Alaska pollock (Theragra chalcogramma) is a brackish-water fish of the family Gadidae.

Biology

The adults usually live near to the sea floor, but sometimes they also appear near the surface. They perform diurnal vertical migrations. They mainly feed on krill but they also eat fishes and crustaceans. The adults which are spawning are often solely captured for their roe. The meat is used to produce Surimi (this is an imitation of shellfish meat). They are traded as fresh fish, boneless flesh, in frozen blocks or as Surimi. The fish is cooked in the microwave, steamed or fried in butter. The Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands (BS/AI), http://www.msc.org/html/content_1176.htm, and Gulf of Alaska (GOA), http://www.msc.org/html/content_492.htm, pollock fisheries of this species have been certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (http://www.msc.org/) as well-managed and sustainable.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Theragra chalcogramma
Family
Gadidae (Cods and haddocks)
Order
Gadiformes (Cods)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
91.0
Depth range
0–1280 m (0–4199 ft)
Environment
Marine; brackish; benthopelagic; non-migratory; depth range 0 - 1280 m
Climate
Polar
Distribution
North Pacific: from Kivalina, Alaska, to the southern Sea of Japan and to Carmel, California, USA. The occurrence off the northern part of Baja California (Mexico), as reported from Quast and Hall, (1972) is apparently erroneous.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
Uses
Fisheries: highly commercial
Resilience
Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (Musick et al. 2000)

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

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