F2F_factsheet_V3.pdf

7/29/2019 F2F_factsheet_V3.pdf

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FISH FACTSPollockLatin name: Pollachius

InformationPollock is the common name used or either o the two species o marine sh in the Pollachius genus. Both P. pollachius and P. virens arecommonly re erred to as pollock. Other names or P. pollachius include the Atlantic pollock, European pollock, lieu jaune, and lythe; while P.

virens is sometimes known as Boston blues (distinct rom blue sh), coal sh (or coley), silver bills or saithe. Both species can grow to 3 t 6 in(1.07 m) and can weigh up to 46 lb (21 kg). The sh has a strongly-de ned, silvery lateral line running down the sides. Above the lateral line,the color is a greenish black. The belly is white. It can be ound in water up to 180m deep over rocks, and anywhere in the water column.Pollock are a white sh.

Members o the Theragra genus also are commonly re erred to as pollock. This includes the Alaska pollock or walleye pollock (Theragrachalcogramma) and the rarer Norwegian pollock (Theragra nnmarchica). While related (they are also members o the amily Gadidae) tothe above pollock species, they are not members o the Pollachius genus. Alaska pollock generally spawn in late winter and early spring onSoutheast Bering Sea. The Alaska pollock is a signi cant part o the commercial shery in the Gul o Alaska.

Because o its slightly gray color, pollock is o ten prepared, as in Norway, as ried sh balls, or i juvenile sized, breaded with oatmeal and

ried, as in Shetland. Year-old sh are traditionally split, salted and dried over a peat hearth in Orkney, where their texture becomes woodenand somewhat phosphorescent. The sh can also be salted and smoked and achieve a salmon-like orange color (although it is not closelyrelated to the salmon), as is the case in Germany where the sh is commonly sold as Seelachs or sea salmon. In Korea, pollock may berepeatedly rozen and melted to create hwangtae, hal -dried to create ko-da-ri, or ully dried and eaten as book-o.


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FISH FACTSDanish Blue Shell MusselLatin name: Mytilus edulis

InformationMytilus edulis has been harvested or centuries. Blue mussel shells have been ound in kitchen middens dated at 6000 B.C. Until the 19thcentury, blue mussels were harvested rom wild beds in most European countries or ood, sh bait and as a ertilizer. The initial step or

mussel aquaculture was based upon storage and relaying shery products. The intertidal wooden pole culture, called bouchots datesback to as early as the 13th century in France. This technique spread widely along the French Atlantic coastline over the 19th century, whileNorthern European countries developed subtidal culture using on bottom culture plots. The rental o mussel culture plots in the early 19thcentury resulted rom the over shing o natural beds. At the turn o the 1970s, traditional culture was improved by new technologicaldevelopments using suspended (rope) culture (longlines). While wild beds are still in use or juvenile supply in several countries, reliabilitywas obtained through the development o spat collecting techniques (ropes, shell). Introductions o Mytilus edulis, as well as technologytrans ers, have acilitated blue mussel culture in countries outside its native range (e.g. China). The development o hatchery techniquesusing polyploid mussels is the most recent culture trend.

Blue mussels are widely distributed in European waters, extending rom the White Sea, Russia as ar as south as the Atlantic coast o Southern France. Mytilus edulis has a wide distributional pattern, mainly due to its abilities to withstand wide fuctuations in salinity,

desiccation, temperature, and oxygen tension. There ore, this species occupies a broad variety o microhabitats, expanding its zonationalrange rom the high intertidal to subtidal regions and its salinity range rom estuarine areas to ully oceanic seawaters. Highly tolerant o awide range o environmental conditions, the blue mussel is euryhaline and occurs in marine as well as in brackishwaters (Baltic) down to4, although it does not thrive in salinities o less than 15 and its growth rate is reduced below 18.


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FISH FACTSArctic Cod

InformationLike the herring, there are various races o cod, which di er in their growth rates, distribution and times o spawning. Most cod spawnbetween the months o January and April and a emale, i she is large enough, can release up to ve million eggs. Depending on the

temperature, the eggs hatch in two to our weeks and the young cod dri t in the open ocean, eeding on small crustaceans. Atlantic codwill eat a wide variety o prey, ranging rom other sh (up to the size o herring) to worms; they also take swimming crabs, shrimps andprawns. The di erent races o this sh vary in the ages and weights attained be ore they become sexually mature. The migratory cod oundo the coasts o New oundland, Iceland and Norway mature at around eight to 12 years old when they may weigh up to eight kilogrammes.Coastal cod mature more rapidly and may be able to reproduce at the age o three years.

Mature Gadus morhua grow to approximately 120 cm in length, weighing around 12 kg, however larger sh have been recorded. Age o maturity varies regionally but is usually between one and teen years. Colour is variable depending on habitat but most are spotted withwhite bellies. Atlantic cod are commonly ound on sandy bottoms and are o ten mottled brown in appearance. This is a heavy and power ulsh with three dorsal and two anal ns, all slightly rounded, and either a square or rounded tail n. The upper jaw overhangs the lower andthe long chin barbel is equal to the eye in diameter. A prominent curved, white (or very pale) lateral line makes this species easy to identi y.

Mainly demersal, although pelagic under certain conditions.Atlantic cod is one o the UKs most popular commercial species and as aresult has been shed extensively in UK waters. They can o ten be ound in large, dense shoals, making them an easy target or shermen.Extensive over shing has resulted in this once proli c species becoming commercially rare.

Latin name: Gadus morhua


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FISH FACTSEuropean PlaiceLatin name: Pleuronectes platessa

InformationEuropean plaice are active mainly at night, when they eed on molluscs and polychaete worms, which are crushed with the strong jaws.During the day they tend to lie hidden, o ten partially buried in the sediment. Newly hatched larvae spend around 6 weeks close to the

sur ace o the water be ore undergoing the trans ormation into adults. In the rst year o li e, juvenile plaice tend to live in shallow water andcan o ten be ound close to beaches.

The plaice (Pleuronectes platessa) is a typical fat sh. It is oval in shape and is right-eyed (i the sh is visualised swimming upright, thenboth the eyes are on the right side o the body). The upper side is basically brown with numerous, conspicuous orange or red spots. Someindividuals may also have smaller white spots, especially when living in areas where the sediment has bits o white shell or pebble. Thelower side is white. They can change their colour to suit the bottom but the orange spots o ten give them away. The usual size limit isabout 50-60 cm but exceptional specimens can reach 90 cm (although rare due to shing pressure). Plaice eed on bottom-living animals,particularly shell sh such as cockles and razor shells. Worms, crustaceans, brittlestars and sand eels are also eaten. Plaice mostly spawnbetween January to March, each emale producing up to hal a million eggs. Around Britain, the eggs are laid in airly shallow waterbetween 20-40 m in well-de ned spawning grounds.Plaice are very important commercial sh and are caught in trawls and seine nets and

sometimes by anglers. Plaice spend much o their time lying quietly on the bottom, o ten partly buried.

The plaice is Europes most important commercial fat sh. Adults have a roughly diamond-shaped outline, and are readily identi ed by theirbright orange or red spots. The upperparts are greenish-brown, the underside is white, and they are able to change their colour to matchthat o their surroundings. In all fat sh, the larval stage undergoes a remarkable change in which the le t eye moves around the head to theright side; this strange adaptation enables the sh to lie fat on the seabed .


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FISH FACTSHaddockLatin name: Melanogrammus aegle nus

InformationThe common haddock Melanogrammus aegle nus is a member o the cod-like sh amily. Members have an elongate, tapering bodyand usually long dorsal and anal ns. Haddock have three dorsal ns and two anal ns. They are easily recognised by the rst dorsal nwhich is considerably higher than the others, more triangular in outline and has a slightly concave trailing margin. The lateral line is dark incolouration. The haddock has a short and rounded nose, big eyes and a small mouth. It is grey in colouration with dusky brown blotches.

Melanogrammus aegle nus is a valuable species that is exploited commercially in mixed trawl and seine sheries, along with cod (Gadusmorhua) and whiting (Merlangius merlangus), and is a bycatch in Norway lobster (Nephrops norvegicus) sheries (Hedger et al., 2004).Spawning takes place rom March to May, at depths o 100-150 m (Alekseeva & Tormosova, 1979). The easiest ways to tell a haddock rom acod (Gadus morhua) are by the dark colouring o the lateral line and the presence o a dusky blotch just below either o the rst dorsal ns.

Adults are ound more commonly rom 80 to 200 m, over rock, sand, gravel or shells, usually at temperatures between 4 and 10C.Feed mainly on small bottom-living organisms including crustaceans, mollusks, echinoderms, worms and shes (sand lance, capelin, silverhake, American eels, herring and argentines. A batch spawner. Undertakes extensive migrations in the Barents Sea and Iceland. Sold

resh, chilled as llets, rozen, smoked and canned. Also utilized or sh meal and animal eeds. Can be steamed, ried, broiled, boiled,microwaved and baked.


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FISH FACTSHakeLatin name: Merluccius paradoxus and Merluccius capensis

InformationDeep-water Cape hake are Found near the bottom. It eeds on shes, mysids, euphausiids and squids. The young eed mainly oneuphausiids, but the diet becomes polyphagous with growth. Cannibalism has been observed in larger individuals. The South A rican Hake

Trawl shery o this species has been certi ed by the Marine Stewardship Council as well-managed and sustainable.

Shallow-water Cape hake are ound on the continental shel and slope to depths over 1,000 m. Juveniles (to about 64 cm) eed on smallcrustaceans and small deep-sea shes such as lantern shes, whereas larger individuals eed chiefy on small hakes and jack mackerel;cannibalism is common (Re . 27121). Migrates southward in the spring and northward in autumn. Breeds throughout the year, peaks o reproductive activity in August and September. Marketed smoked, rozen, and resh on ice; eaten steamed, ried and baked.

Atlantic hake are abundant on sandy grounds and strays into shallower waters. A voracious predator with cannibalistic habits. Individualsover 40 cm Hake prey on shes such as gadoids and herring, while smaller ones eed on crustaceans, i.e. euphausiids and pandalids; oodalso includes gaspereau, myctophids, smelt, silversides, mackerel, sand lance, butter sh, snakeblennies, longhorn sculpins and squids.The smallest specimen eeds mostly on crustaceans. Exhibits seasonal onshore-o shore migration. Spawning takes place rom June-July

in the mid-Atlantic region; July-August in the Gul o Maine and to the north o Georges Bank, and August-September on the Scotian Shel .Marketed resh, smoked and rozen; resh sh are exported to European markets; eaten ried, broiled, microwaved and baked.


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FISH FACTSAtlantic HerringLatin name: Clupea harengus

InformationMany people will be amiliar with the herring as, or many years, it has been a staple o the shmongers slab. It is a shoaling sh and hasthe classical sh shape, and is silvery and streamlined. It has a single dorsal n, and pelvic ns positioned slightly in ront o the line o the

dorsal n. The pectoral ns, like the others on the sh, are so t and not sti and bony like on many other shes. The lower jaw protrudesorward o the upper lip, and there is no visible lateral line. The body is deeper than it is wide, improving the streamlining, and the tail isdeeply orked. The colouring o the body overall is silver, but closer inspection reveals that there is a darker blue iridescence over the upperhal o the body, whilst the underside is paler. This colouration is called countershading, and provides a way o camoufaging the sh romattacks by its many predators rom all angles.

Clupea harengus is a streamlined shoaling sh. It may reach up to 40 cm in length and 0.68 kg in weight. The overall colouring o the bodyis silver but a darker blue iridescence is present over the upper hal o the body. The underside is considerably paler. The body is deeperthan it is wide, which improves the streamlined nature o the sh. The tail is deeply orked and has a single dorsal n. The pelvic ns aresituated slightly in ront o the line o the dorsal n. These, as well as the pectoral ns are not bony, like in many other sh, but are so t.Clupea harengus is a highly commercial marine sh and is being threatened by over-harvesting by commercial shing feets (Whitehead,

1985). Maturity is reached between the ages o 3 and 9 years. Atlantic herring predominantly eeds on small shrimps or copepods but isalso known to lter- eed should the need arise.


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FISH FACTSAtlantic MackerelLatin name: Scomber scombrus

InformationAdult Atlantic mackerels orm schools close to the sur ace; they have to swim constantly as they breathe by a method known as ramventilation, which requires a constant fow o water across the gill sur aces. They are active mainly in the day, and eed on small shes such

as sand eels (Ammodytes spp.), as well as small crustaceans, which are ltered rom the water. They spend the winter in deep water, andstop eeding at this time; they migrate closer to shore during spring. During spawning, eggs and sperm are released into the sea. Boththe eggs and larvae are pelagic; the eggs have a globule o oil, which keeps them afoat in the sur ace waters (4). Larvae begin to eed oncopepods (tiny crustaceans) when they reach sizes o around 3mm. They will have grown to lengths o 25 cm a ter just one year. This is along-lived species; the maximum recorded li espan in the North Sea is 25 years.

Atlantic mackerel are most readily identi ed by the strong dark markings on their back, which are oblique to near-vertical with relatively littleundulation. The belly is unmarked and a mixture o silver and metallic blue in colour. Scomber scombrus is a streamlined sh with a totalo 8-14 dorsal spines, 11-13 dorsal so t rays and 12-13 anal so t rays. They also show a conspicuous anal n spine, joined to the n by a thinmembrane. They do not possess a swim bladder. Shoals up to 9 km long, 4 km wide and extending 40 m deep have been reported. Thisspecies is a highly commercial species or trawlers but is also targeted by anglers and sport shers.

A similar species, the Scomber japonicus, is also ound in the English Channel during the summer. The species are distinguished by vesmall nlets between the second dorsal and tail n, and between the anal n and the tail o Scomber japonicus.


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FISH FACTSNew Zealand HokiLatin name: Macruronus novaezelandiae

InformationAppear to live usually on or near the bottom, but may occasionally move up into mid-waters. Large adult sh generally occur deeperthan 400 m, while juveniles may be ound in shallower water, more commonly ound in large estuaries and bays, and may even enter

reshwaters. Juvenile specimens and especially adults belonging to the American subspecies, have been caught rom the coastal zone to110 m. Form schools. Feed primarily on lantern shes. In New Zealand, it eeds in midwater on small sh, crustaceans and squid. Oviparous,spawn 1 million eggs on the average which are released all at one time. Utilized resh and rozen; can be steamed, ried, cooked inmicrowave and baked. The New Zealand Commercial Hoki shery o this species has been certi ed by the Marine Stewardship Council aswell-managed and sustainable.

Industry views the decision as a tremendous validation o a long-term strategy to keep the hoki sheries economically and environmentallysustainable. Beginning about a decade ago, the New Zealand government and sea ood industry made the di cult decision to cut thequota and to shrink the feet in order to preserve the long-term viability o the hoki sheries. The catch increase decision is the result o thoseyears o prudent and disciplined management.


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FISH FACTSWhitingLatin name: Merlangius merlangus

InformationThe sh matures at between three and our years o age, and spawning takes place at a depth o 20 to150m. The time o the spawningvaries rom location to location: rom January to spring in the Mediterranean; rom January to September in the area between the British

Isles and the Bay o Biscay; and throughout the year in the Black Sea. A large emale can produce up to one million eggs. The eggs foat inthe open ocean and the larval whiting swim with other sea plankton until they have attained a length o around 10 cm. The sh grow quickly,with emales growing aster than males, and can live to about ten years o age. The diet o the whiting consists o bottom-living organisms,such as crabs, shrimps, small sh, molluscs, worms, squid and cuttle sh.

The whiting Merlangius merlangus is a cod-like sh. It has an elongated body with a small head and a pointed snout. It can grow up to 70cm in length. It has a blue-green upper colouring and is silvery-white underneath. It has three dorsal ns and two anal ns. The pectoralns are on the side and the pelvic ns are near the gills. The tail is truncate. Its upper jaw projects above the lower jaw. A small dark spot isound at the base o the pectoral ns and the lateral line is brown in colour.It can be di erentiated rom similar species such as the haddock,Melanogrammus aegle nus, by a small dark spot which is ound at the base o the pectoral ns and by the lateral line being brown and notblack. It is very similar to the blue whiting, Micromesistius poutassou, but can be distinguished by the dorsal ns being close together.

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F2F_factsheet_V3.pdf