Pollock
Pollock (Pollachius virens) is a saltwater species. The first thing to check: a projecting lower jaw that juts out past the upper — the reverse of a cod or haddock. The look-alike to rule out is Atlantic Cod: cod have a pale, clearly arched lateral line, a prominent chin barbel and an upper jaw that overhangs the lower.
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| Scientific name | Pollachius virens |
|---|---|
| Also called | pollack, coalfish, Boston bluefish |
| Water | Saltwater |
| Group | Cod |
| Temperature | Feeds between about 38 and 52 °F. |
How to identify a Pollock
- A projecting lower jaw that juts out past the upper — the reverse of a cod or haddock.
- A dark, nearly straight lateral line with no pale arch over the pectoral fin.
- A tiny chin barbel or none at all, on a dark olive-green back with a silvery belly and a distinctly forked tail.
If you would rather not work through a key on a wet deck, photograph the fish and let the app name it — you get the common and the scientific name back, and the record is filed before you release.
Fish it is mistaken for
| Species | How to tell them apart |
|---|---|
| Atlantic Cod | Cod have a pale, clearly arched lateral line, a prominent chin barbel and an upper jaw that overhangs the lower. |
| Haddock | Haddock have a black lateral line and a dark thumbprint blotch on the shoulder, and no projecting lower jaw. |
Side-by-side comparisons
Read the full entry for Atlantic Cod and Haddock.
Where it lives
The North Atlantic from the Gulf of Maine northward. Unlike cod and haddock it feeds well up in the water column, over wrecks, ledges and rips rather than hard on the bottom.
Temperature
Feeds between about 38 and 52 °F.
The conditions that matter
Pollock chase bait through the column rather than grubbing the bottom, so they are the one gadoid you regularly catch on the way down. Strong current over a wreck or a rip lifts them, and they feed far more actively in moving water than cod on the same piece.
Global Fishing League records 18 weather and water readings against every catch automatically — tide stage, barometric pressure, water temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll, swell, current, moon phase and more, taken at your GPS position at the moment you log the fish. Over a season that turns a hunch about pollock into a pattern you can read.
See every reading recorded with a catch, or the guides to what each reading means.
Size limits, bag limits and seasons
Size limits, bag limits, slot limits and seasons are set by your state wildlife agency — and for many offshore and migratory species by federal regulators — and on many waters they differ from the statewide rule. They also change between seasons. Check the current regulations for the exact water you are fishing before you keep a fish — we do not republish limits here, because a number that is a season out of date is worse than no number.
What the app does do is make your side of it accurate: every catch carries a length measured from the photograph, a GPS position and a timestamp, exportable if you ever need to show your work for a tournament or a record claim. It is also what a Global Fishing League entry is built from — a record that verifies itself, without publishing where you caught the fish.