Pollachius virens

{{Short description|Species of fish}} {{Hatnote|"Coalfish" redirects here; that is also a common name for ''Anoplopoma fimbria'' (sablefish) in Canada.}} {{Redirect|Boston blue|the U.S. TV series|Boston Blue}} {{Speciesbox | name = Saithe | image = Pollachius virens 01.jpg | image_caption = At Ozeaneum | image2 = | taxon = Pollachius virens | authority = (Linnaeus, 1758) | synonyms = {{collapsible list| *''Gadus virens'' Linnaeus, 1758 *''Merlangus virens'' (Linnaeus, 1758) *''Gadus carbonarius'' Linnaeus, 1758 *''Merlangus carbonarius'' (Linnaeus, 1758) *''Pollachius carbonarius'' (Linnaeus, 1758) *''Gadus colinus'' Lacepède, 1800 *''Gadus sey'' Lacepède, 1800 *''Gadus purpureus'' Mitchill, 1814 *''Merlangus purpureus'' (Mitchill, 1814) }} }} '''''Pollachius virens''''' is a species of marine fish in the genus ''Pollachius''. Together with ''P. pollachius'', it is generally referred to in the United States as '''pollock'''. It is commonly known in Britain as the '''coalfish''', '''coley''', or '''saithe''' ({{IPAc-en|s|eɪ|ð}} or {{IPAc-en|s|eɪ|θ}}),<ref>{{Cite OED|saithe|3051334919}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Davidson |first=Alan |author-link=Alan Davidson (food writer) |title=Oxford Companion to Food |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1999 |isbn=0-19-211579-0 |page=[https://archive.org/details/oxfordcompaniont00davi_0/page/682 682] |title-link=Oxford Companion to Food }}</ref> and the young fish may also be called '''podleys''' or '''cuddies'''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/cuddie_n1|title=Dictionaries of the Scots Language:: SND :: cuddie n1}}</ref> in Scotland and northern England.<ref name = Collins>{{cite web | url = https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/podley | title = Definition of 'podley' | access-date = 4 April 2018 | publisher = HarperCollins}}</ref>

==Distribution and habitat== It is common in the northern parts of the Northern Atlantic, including the Bay of Biscay.<ref name="FishBase" /> Juveniles tend to be found close to shore, particularly in rocky areas, and tend to move out into deeper waters as they grow.<ref name=":0" /> ==Description== {{Multiple image | image1 = Pollachius virens 4447734 (cropped).jpg | image2 = Pollachius virens 301554418 (cropped).jpg | image3 = Pollachius virens 218207213 (cropped).jpg | direction = vertical | total_width = 250 | footer = ''P. virens'' in Norway }} This species can be separated from ''P. pollachius'' by looking at the relative lengths of the upper and lower jaws. ''P. pollachius'' has a longer underslung lower jaw while ''P. virens'' has approximately equal upper and lower jaw lengths. This gives a very different profile to the head. In general, ''P. pollachius'' is a brown or golden colour with a dark back while ''P. virens'' is bright silver with a very dark green back. ''P. virens'' generally appears to have relatively smaller eyes. The lateral line of ''P. pollachius'' has a noticeable kink over the pectoral fins while that of ''P. virens'' is straighter.{{Citation needed|date=November 2025}}

Adults can typically live up to 16–20 years and grow to {{convert|100–120|cm|in|round=5}} but individuals up to {{convert|130|cm|in|round=5|abbr=on}} and weight up to {{convert|32|kg|lb|0|abbr=on}} have been caught.<ref name="FishBase">{{FishBase | genus=Pollachius | species=virens | year=2010 | month=October}}</ref> The current IGFA All-Tackle World Record is {{convert|22.7|kg|lboz}} which was caught at Saltstraumen in Norway.<ref name=":0">[https://nofima.no/en/nyhet/2016/08/saithe-quality-near-fish-farms-documented/ Saithe quality near fish farms documented] 24 August 2016 ''nofima.no'', accessed 17 January 2021</ref>

== Reproduction == [[File:Pollachius virens 394309021.jpg|thumb|Juvenile in New Jersey (USA)]] Saithe reach sexual maturity at 4–9 years old and are iteroparous, batch spawners with determinate fecundity.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Murua|first1=H|last2=Saborido-Rey|first2=F|date=December 2003|title=Female Reproductive Strategies of Marine Fish Species of the North Atlantic|journal=Journal of Northwest Atlantic Fishery Science|volume=33|pages=23–31|doi=10.2960/J.v33.a2|issn=0250-6408|doi-access=free|hdl=10261/26868|hdl-access=free}}</ref> Females produce, depending on their size, between 500 thousand and 9 million eggs which are {{convert|1.0 to 1.3|mm|frac=128}} in diameter.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Storozhuk|first1=A. Y.|last2=Golovanov|first2=A. V.|last3=Golubyatnikova|first3=I. P.|date=1974|title=On the fecundity of Saithe (Pollachius virens) in the NorthSea|url=https://www.ices.dk/sites/pub/CM%20Doccuments/1974/F/1974_F13.pdf|journal=ICES Document CM|volume=1974/F:13}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Skjaeraasen|first1=J. E.|last2=Devine|first2=J. A.|last3=Godiksen|first3=J. A.|last4=Fonn|first4=M.|last5=OtterÅ|first5=H.|last6=Kjesbu|first6=O. S.|last7=Norberg|first7=B.|last8=Langangen|first8=Ø.|last9=Karlsen|first9=Ø.|date=January 2017|title=Timecourse of oocyte development in saithe ''Pollachius virens'': Oocyte development in ''p. virens''|journal=Journal of Fish Biology|volume=90|issue=1|pages=109–128|doi=10.1111/jfb.13161|pmid=27734466|hdl=10852/61262|hdl-access=free}}</ref>

==As food== Coalfish is edible and has commercial value, although it is considerably less valuable than premium whitefish such as cod and haddock.<ref>{{cite web|title=Coalfish|date=28 August 2012 |url=https://britishseafishing.co.uk/coalfish/|publisher=British Sea Fishing|access-date=11 December 2015}}</ref> To achieve a salmon-like orange color, it can be salted and smoked. In Germany, the fish is commonly sold as ''Seelachs''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Verzeichnis der Handelsbezeichnungen für Erzeugnisse der Fischerei und Aquakultur |trans-title=Catalog of Trade Names for Fishery and Aquaculture Products |url=https://www.ble.de/SharedDocs/Downloads/DE/Fischerei/Fischwirtschaft/HandelsbezeichnungDLat.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=24 |access-date=May 18, 2025 |publisher=German Federal Office for Agriculture and Food |language=German}}</ref> (literally 'sea salmon'), although it is not closely related to any salmon.

While a great deal of saithe consumed in Europe are caught in British waters, it is not a popular fish with consumers there. Most of the British saithe catch is thus exported to France, where it is widely eaten.<ref>{{cite news|last=Lichfield|first=John|title=A 'Brexit bonanza' for UK fishing? That's a fishy tale with an unhappy ending|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/aug/31/myth-brexit-bonanza-uk-fishing-exposed-no-deal|newspaper=The Guardian|date=31 August 2019|access-date=10 March 2020}}</ref>

The flesh of coalfish (''P. virens'') is darkly coloured (hence the common name) while that of ''P. pollachius'' is similar to other members of the cod family. This dark colour in the fresh uncooked flesh may have led to the undeserved reputation of this fish as poor for eating.{{Citation needed|date=November 2025}}

Saithe often congregate around fish farms and feed on uneaten salmon feeds which have passed through the net walls of the cages. It is the opinion of fishermen that the fish caught close to fish farms is of poor quality. Quality testing shows that there is relatively minor difference in fillet quality between fish which were caught close to fish farms and those that were not; however, catches taken close to fish farms have a higher proportion of fish of poor quality.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Uglem |first1=Ingebrigt |last2=Toledo-Guedes |first2=Kilian |last3=Sanchez-Jerez |first3=Pablo |last4=Ulvan |first4=Eva Marita |last5=Evensen |first5=Tor |last6=Sæther |first6=Bjørn Steinar |date=April 2020 |title=Does waste feed from salmon farming affect the quality of saithe ( Pollachius virens L.) attracted to fish farms? |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/are.14519 |journal=Aquaculture Research |language=en |volume=51 |issue=4 |pages=1720–1730 |doi=10.1111/are.14519 |issn=1355-557X|hdl=10045/103852 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> There is a detectable difference in taste between saithe associated and not associated with fish farms, but there are conflicting results on which tastes better and is probably a matter of consumer preference.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-08-24 |title=Saithe quality near fish farms documented |url=https://nofima.com/results/saithe-quality-near-fish-farms-documented/ |access-date=2024-06-10 |website=Nofima |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Skog |first1=Tor-Einar |last2=Hylland |first2=Ketil |last3=Torstensen |first3=Bente E |last4=Berntssen |first4=Marc H G |date=October 2003 |title=Salmon farming affects the fatty acid composition and taste of wild saithe Pollachius virens L.: Salmon farming |journal=Aquaculture Research |language=en |volume=34 |issue=12 |pages=999–1007 |doi=10.1046/j.1365-2109.2003.00901.x|doi-access=free }}</ref>

Along with the more commonly used cod and alaska pollock<ref>{{cite web|title=Good Fish Finger Guide 2018|url=https://media.mcsuk.org/documents/mcs-fish-finger-guide-2018.pdf|publisher=Marine Conservation Society|access-date=2025-12-13}}</ref>, fish fingers can be made using saithe.{{where|date=December 2025}} Saithe is also used as food for domestic cats.{{Citation needed|date=November 2025}}

==Fisheries== [[File:Saithe landings.jpg|thumb|250x250px|Commercial landings in the eastern (top) and western Atlantic (bottom). Data from ICES, NOAA and Fisheries and Oceans Canada{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}]] Saithe is fished year-round using gear such as Danish seine nets, trawlers, long lines and gill nets and is often caught in mixed species fishery with other groundfish species such as cod and whiting. The main fishing grounds in the eastern Atlantic are in the Barents Sea, around Iceland, around the Faeroe Islands and in the North Sea and Celtic Sea. Landings in the eastern Atlantic have fluctuated around {{convert|300000–700000|t|ST|abbr=off}} in the period 1980–2017. All the stocks in eastern Atlantic are assessed by International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) which publish recommendations on an annual basis for Total Allowable Catch.

The commercial catch of saithe in the western Atlantic is taken by USA and Canada and has fluctuated around {{convert|5000-45000|t|ST|abbr=off}} per year between 1980 and 2018. The population in the western Atlantic is assessed by USA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

All four stocks assessed in the eastern Atlantic and the stock in the western Atlantic are harvested sustainably with many saithe fisheries having been certified as sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council.

==References== {{Reflist|30em}}

==Further reading== *[https://www.fishwatch.gov/profiles/atlantic-pollock Atlantic pollock] ''NOAA FishWatch''. Retrieved 25 October 2019.

==External links== * {{Commons-inline}} * {{Wikispecies-inline}}

Category:Pollock Category:Commercial fish Category:Fish described in 1758 Category:Fish of Europe Category:Fauna of Atlantic Canada Category:Fish of the North Atlantic Category:Fish of the North Sea Category:Animal taxa named by Carl Linnaeus