Pollock

Pollock is the common name for two North Atlantic marine fish species in the genus Pollachius, established by Nilsson in 1832 within the cod family Gadidae: Pollachius pollachius, called pollock in North America, Ireland and the United Kingdom and also Atlantic pollock, European pollock or lythe, and Pollachius virens, known in Britain and Ireland as saithe or coley and also Boston blue or silver bill. Pollachius pollachius lives in water up to 180 meters deep over rocky bottoms and throughout the water column. As a whitefish, Atlantic pollock served historically in the United Kingdom as an inexpensive substitute for cod and haddock, and it has grown more popular as overfishing has reduced those species, now appearing in products such as fish fingers, imitation crab and fish and chips.