What fish am I eating?

A contribution from Jake, in the Fish as Food category.

Many people go to restaurants and order fish, but do they really know what type of fish they are ordering? Different restaurants may well use different types of fish.  A popular fish that is being used today for items such as fish sticks and fish patties is the pollock, Theragra chalcogramma. These fish reach lengths to almost four feet and a weight of close to 50 pounds. Recent catches of pollock total close 1.5 million tons per year, representing nearly 1/3 of all marine fish caught annually in U.S. waters. Although the annual catch is large, abundance of pollock is decreasing rapidly due to over-fishing and predators. In 2008, pollock abundance was said to be the lowest in the history of the U.S.-managed fishery.

Even though the pollock numbers are decreasing, the fish is still used today in many well-known restaurants, including Long John Silver’s. Long John Silver’s was founded in 1969 and set trends with the quick-service seafood restaurant.  As the world’s most popular quick-service seafood chain, it has over 1,200 restaurants worldwide.  Although they have not always used them, pollock is the main fish that Long John Silver’s uses today. It is typically served fried, but the restaurant also serves grilled fish, also pollock.