Hobbies And Interests
Description
The pollock is in the same family of fish (Gadidae) as the cod, and is also related to the halibut and other long, white fish species that find their way to the fish monger for processing as food. It has an extended body that is varying shades of green with lines on the sides and a light colored or silvery belly. Younger ones are deeper colored, even yellow, on the belly. The fish comes equipped with a trio of dorsal fins and two at its anal end. It can grow up to 3.5 feet and reach 35 pounds.
Reproduction
By the age of seven pollock are ready to breed, with males beginning maturation at four years and females at five. As the female matures, the number of eggs she produces increases and could number around 4 million for larger fish. Spawning is typically done in fall and winter in deep water, up to 300 feet. When the water temperature dips to around 59 degrees Fahrenheit, spawning can begin. After the eggs are fertilized it only takes six to nine days to hatch. They dwell near the top of the water as larvae until moving on as juveniles at around three months.
Habitat And Feeding
Pollock like the bottom of deep, cold waters but can range into shallow water looking for food. In the northern Atlantic they prefer temperatures from 51 to 68 degrees but can subsist around the freezing mark. They generally live in schools, shifting toward the shore in warmer weather and drift back to deep water in winter. Younger ones sometimes make their way into estuaries in spring, staying until cold comes again.
Alaska Pollock
The Alaska pollock, sometimes called walleye pollock, lives mostly in the Bering Sea but ranges through the North Pacific and generally lives halfway down in water as deep as 3,280 feet. It displays different coloring than Atlantic pollock, having a speckled appearance on top that helps it achieve camouflage when resting on the ocean floor. It is primarily of interest as a food product, being the largest commercial fish by volume in the U.S.