Common Name	Pacific Cod	Conservation Notes
Scientific Name	Gadus macrocephalus	Sustainability Information
Market Names	P-cod, Alaska cod, Gray cod, True cod	Buying Tips
Sushi Name	N/A	Health/Nutrition

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Pacific Cod Market Alert - updated February 2011

The MSC-certified Alaska cod fishery opened this January and fishermen were eager to brave the frigid, stormy seas to take advantage of a greatly increased quota and strong market prices. This year’s quota in the Bering Sea has been boosted a whopping 40% to about 220,000 metric tons, while the quota in the Gulf of Alaska cod fishery has been increased 12% to about 65,000 metric tons. (By contrast, U.S. fishermen catch only about 9,000 metric tons of Atlantic cod a year.) The 2011 Alaska quota is the highest since 1997 and the second highest since the fishery was developed by the U.S. fleet in the 1980s.

Freezer longliners in the Bering Sea will catch about half of the quota there, with trawlers and pot boats landing the rest. In the Gulf, most of the catch is landed by trawlers who deliver to shore-based processing plants.  Buyers looking for fillets should contact shore-based processors in Dutch Harbor, Akutan and Kodiak, as very few fillets are put up at sea. Kodiak-based plants are the best option for fresh cod fillets.

Don’t expect the big jump in P-cod supplies to lead to any bargains, however. Distributors were paying in the $3.50/lb. range for Alaska cod fillets this February, about $.50/lb. more than they were paying last February.

Conservation Notes

Life History/Inherent Vulnerability: Pacific cod grows relatively fast and can produce several hundred thousand eggs per year, making it more resilient to fishing pressure, although it does form dense spawning aggregations that make large catches more likely.

Status of Stocks/Abundance: Pacific cod abundance fluctuates but its populations in the Gulf of Alaska as well as the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands are considered good at a medium level. Climate change could be having an impact on abundance so research is ongoing in this area.

Fishing Impacts on Habitat: Most Pacific cod is caught using bottom longlines and trawlers. This trawling does moderate damage to ocean habitats, particularly deep water corals that are important fish habitats. Pot and jig gear are also used to a lesser extent, which have minimal impacts.

Bycatch, Nature and Extent: Bottom longlines in this fishery do accidentally catch endangered and threatened seabirds. About 15,000 seabirds are killed by Pacific cod fishing gear annually, according to the Blue Ocean Institute. However, management measures enacted in 2004 are shown to be successfully reducing this bycatch. Bycatch is also reduced with the use of pots instead of bottom trawlers, although they only make up about 10% of the gear used in the Alaskan Pacific cod fishery, where most of the fish is caught.

Management Effectiveness: Management in the Alaskan Pacific cod fishery is considered to be effective, including catch limits, observer counts, closures, and permits. Pacific cod is a major part of the diet for endangered Stellar sea lions so a series of closures in the North Pacific have been implemented to minimize the impact. Pacific cod from Japan and Russia lacks effective management and there are few records for population status of these stocks, according to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. There is also documentation of illegal fishing in Russia, but not enough management to address it effectively.

Sustainability Information

	Seafood Watch	SeaChoice	FishWise	Blue Ocean Institute	New England Aquarium	Marine Stewardship Council
Alaska Longline, Jig, Pot	Best Choice	Best Choice	Best Choice	Light Green	A List	Certified
Alaska Trawl	Good Alternative	Some Concerns	Good Alternative	Light Green	B List	Certified
U.S. Pacific Longline, Jig, Pot	Best Choice	Best Choice	Best Choice	Light Green	A List
U.S. Pacific Trawl	Good Alternative	Some Concerns	Good Alternative	Light Green
British Columbia Trawl		Some Concerns		Light Green
Russia-Japan Wild-caught	Avoid	Avoid	Avoid	Light Green

Rating Explanation

Differences in the ratings for Pacific cod by FishChoice.com partners are due to differences in the scope of the ratings; Blue Ocean Institutes rating for Pacific cod is for all gear types, all regions. Seafood Watch, SeaChoice, FishWise and the New England Aquarium ratings are different based on source region and gear type.  

Buying Tips

• 2/3 of all Pacific cod is landed in Alaska; most of that is trawl-caught
• The quality of this fish can vary substantially depending on how well it was handled at sea.
• The highest quality is produced by freezer longliners, which process fish on board a short time after bringing it aboard.
• Factory trawlers can produce a high-quality product as well, if tows are short and fish is processed promptly.
• Most Alaskan trawlers delivering to shore-based processing plants hold their fish in refrigerated seawater tanks. Since the fish is not bled, its meat is normally not as white.
• Pacific cod has a higher moisture content than Atlantic cod and for that reason is not considered as good for breaded and battered fried applications.

Nutrition and Health

Acknowledgements

• Seafood Watch by Monterey Bay Aquarium
• Blue Ocean Institute
• SeaChoice
• Seafood Choices Alliance
• Environmental Defense Fund
• NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service