American Pollack (Pollachius virens)

American Pollack (Pollachius virens) – a fish of Gadidaefamily which lives in the North Atlantic, southwestern Barents Sea, and in the White Sea. The color varies. The head top and back are dark ranging from olive green to dark brown, the sides are yellow grey, and the belly is silvery. The body length is up to 115–120 cm, usually 60–90 cm. The weight is 1.5–2 kg. A.P. assembles in shoals near the bottom as well as in higher water layers up to the surface. A.P. mature at 5–6 years of age reaching the length of 60–70 cm. A.P. spawn off the shores of Norway at the depths of 100 to 200 m during a lengthy period continuing from January till May. The eggs are pelagic, the larvae and the young being dispersed by the currents. The breeding performance is up to four million eggs (ca. 225,000 on the average). Feeds predominantly on fish (herring, capelin, young cod) and pelagic crustaceans. Engages in distant seasonal migrations leaving northwards in early summer. Occurs near Murmansk shores...