Alaska pollock is the United States’ largest fishery, and it’s one of the biggest, most economically valuable fisheries in the world.
Found throughout the northern Pacific Ocean, Alaska pollock are most common in the Bering Sea. These fast-growing fish can reproduce within three years, and they live to be about 12. Juveniles eat tiny animals and protozoans known as zooplankton; older pollock sometimes expand the menu by cannibalizing younger pollock (eggs, larvae, and juveniles).
Alaska pollock populations exhibit large fluctuations from year to year. Historically, declines in some regions were exacerbated by heavy fishing. By establishing annual catch limits (quotas) on this stock since 1977, the United States has long worked to ensure that the pollock fishery is a model for sustainable seafood harvest.