Since fish are managed according to where they are found and how they are caught, it’s important to understand some of the critical elements about fish stocks and gear type used. Seafood for the Future provides a list of recommended sustainable seafood by species and simplified explanation about what’s important in the selection of each.

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Alaska pollock

Theragra chalcogramma

Family: Gadidae (cod) 

Common names: The FDA acceptable market names are pollock and Alaska pollock, as well as the scientific common name walleye pollock.  Non-market vernacular names include: whiting, Pacific tomcod, and Pacific pollock.

View the FDA list of legal market fish names.

Do not confuse with: other species legally sold under the name pollock , including the Atlantic species Pollachius pollachius, Pollachius virens, and Theragra finnmarchica, which are not found in FAO area 67.  Pollachius virens is sold as pollock and managed by the NOAA Fisheries Service on the Northeast coast and Georges Bank.

SFF determination:
Alaska pollock stocks are endorsed based on NOAA Fisheries Service information.

Primary Commercial Fishing Gear:

Midwater trawl

Geographic Range:

Alaska: Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands (BS/AI), Gulf of Alaska (GOA).
Endorsed stocks originate in FAO area 67.  View FAO fishing area map.

NMFS Fish Stock Sustainability Index (FSSI):

sssi:4
AI stocks have a NOAA Fisheries Service score of 4.0 (maximum).

GOA stocks have a NOAA Fisheries Service score of 4.0 (maximum).

Eastern BS stocks have a NOAA Fisheries Service score of 3.0.

Overfishing: NO

Fishing pressure does not exceed target levels.

Overfished: NO

Population biomass is not less than target levels.

Approaching Overfished Condition: NO

Populations are not in decline.

Estimated Biomass:

  • 90% (Aleutian Islands)

  • 84% (Western Gulf of Alaska)

  • 62% (East Bering Sea)

Biomass expressed as a percentage of the estimated Biomass at Maximum Sustainable Yield (BMSY)
B/BMSY must be >80% to earn a maximum score of 4.0 on the National Marine Fishery Service’s FSSI report

Bycatch/Interactions:

The pollock and salmon fisheries overlap in some areas, meaning that each comprises some bycatch in the other. Bycatch of chinook salmon has increased from 2% to 9% in the Bering Sea between 2002 and 2007, and the bycatch is now managed through caps as well as incentive structures. The pollock fishery also includes a Community Development Quota (CDQ) component to provide economic and social benefits for eligible villages in Western Alaska. Pollock fisheries in the BS/AI are listed as Category II with respect to marine mammal interactions, and Category III in the GOA.

Download the federal List of Fisheries, which reports interactions between fisheries and  marine mammals according to the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

Managing Authority:

  • NPFMC (North Pacific Fisheries Management Council)

Life History Traits:

Alaska pollock can reach sexual maturity before the age of 4 and produce up to 2 million eggs during the brief February to April spawning season.

Commercial Season:

Divided into several seasons, beginning in January and ending at various times.

Health Advisory:

None.

Seafood Advisory Consensus:

  • Blue Ocean Institute – Green (2.75/4.00)
  • Monterey Bay Seafood Watch – Good Alternative
  • Environmental Defense Fund – Eco-OK
  • Marine Stewardship Council – BS/AI and GOA stocks are certified
  • WWF – no rating
  • SeaChoice – Green
  • New England Aquarium – “Ocean Friendly Seafood Choice”
  • Greenpeace – Red listed


A measurement of how the National Marine Fisheries Service assesses the sustainability of fish stock managed in domestic waters. A 4-point scale (4 being the most sustainable) that scores the size of the fish stock in relation to the amount of fishing. Not all fish stocks have an FSSI score.


Some fishing methods are harmful to whales and dolphins, turtles, seabirds, and non-targeted fish. Fishing gear may also damage fish habitat by dragging on the seafloor. Regional fisheries councils and state fisheries management authorities provide bycatch information and habitat damage so that we can recommend fish from the most sustainable fishing methods possible.


Fish that are managed under U.S. fisheries programs cover a wide geographic range and can be found from Maine to Guam, a distance that’s equivalent to a third of the way around the Earth. Some programs fall under state jurisdiction, while others are run by one of the regional fisheries management councils.