Pollock vs Cod

[alwhitney2]

There appear to be many similarities between the Alaska Pollock fishery and the Northern cod Fishery, however there are also some major differences. The Northern Cod fishery has been around for hundreds of years, and it’s importance is deeply rooted in Newfoundland culture, posing potential issues down the line in regulating it. By contrast, the Alaska Pollock Fishery is pretty new, only a few decades old. Cod were also a pretty desirable fish, with larger bodies of flaky white meat that many desired. Pollock however weren’t nearly as desirable, and were largely looked towards as a potential replacement for cod after the collapse. While Koreans enjoyed pollock, that was due to the “golden” eggs. Other than that, the fish quickly took on an off flavor and was definitely not highly coveted.

Despite these differences, there are many similarities too. Both pollock and cod are schooling fish, meaning that large amounts of them are caught at once in dense areas. They both had large populations outside of the initial 3 mile range countries had, and still both had populations outside of the 200 mile range. This caused problems for both fisheries, as foreigners could fish on the high seas with little regulation. They were also both initially seen as endless, causing much issue for the population of the fish, as we fished hard, and harder. This combined with the schooling nature of both species meant that even when populations were going down it was hard to see the effect as fishermen could easily catch tons and tons in the last remaining schools.

[Isabella Erickson]

I also thought that the difference in desirability between Northern Cod and Alaska Pollock is interesting. I think that, in general, pollock are skinnier and smaller than cod as well, which could contribute to this.

[ramaldonado]

I like that you brought up the difference in taste and use of both fish. I definitely forgot about that point when I was thinking about their differences. It seems the fact that Pollock was never a globally desirable fish might have contributed to why it is still around. It also makes me wonder what humans will find as the next gold rush, after exploiting the most desirable fish and meats. I think, as things begin to disappear, a lot of undesirable animals will all of a sudden become desirable.

[jlrogers4]

I like that you point out the Northern Cods history and how much longer it has been fished than Alaskan Pollock.

[khteets]

I totally agree with your points and I love how you described each point you made. This included the quick statement of how much older the Northern Cod fishery is and how important both sides are.

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