Alaska Pollock - Ecology and Behaviour

Ecology and Behaviour

The speckled colouring of Alaska pollock makes it more difficult for predators to see them when they are near sandy ocean floors. They are a relatively fast growing and short-lived species, currently representing a major biological component of the Bering Sea ecosystem. It has been found that catches of Alaska pollock go up three years after stormy summers. The storms stir up nutrients, and this results in phytoplankton being plentiful for longer, which in turn allows more pollock hatchlings to survive.

Alaska pollock has well-developed drumming muscles that the fish use to produce sounds during courtship like many other gadids.