Billet

Pollachius virens is a species of marine fish in the genus Pollachius. Together with P. pollachius, it is generally referred to in the United States as pollock. It is commonly known in Britain as the coalfish, coley, or saithe ( or ), and the young fish may also be called podleys or cuddies in Scotland and northern England.

Distribution

It is common in the northern parts of the Northern Atlantic, including the Bay of Biscay. Juveniles tend to be found close to shore, particularly in rocky areas, and tend to move out into deeper waters as they grow.

Behaviour

Coalfish is edible and has commercial value, although it is considerably less valuable than premium whitefish such as cod and haddock. To achieve a salmon-like orange color, it can be salted and smoked. In Germany, the fish is commonly sold as Seelachs (literally 'sea salmon'), although it is not closely related to any salmon.

While a great deal of saithe consumed in Europe are caught in British waters, it is not a popular fish with consumers there. Most of the British saithe catch is thus exported to France, where it is widely eaten.

The flesh of coalfish (P. virens) is darkly coloured (hence the common name) while that of P. pollachius is similar to other members of the cod family. This dark colour in the fresh uncooked flesh may have led to the undeserved reputation of this fish as poor for eating.

Saithe often congregate around fish farms and feed on uneaten salmon feeds which have passed through the net walls of the cages. It is the opinion of fishermen that the fish caught close to fish farms is of poor quality. Quality testing shows that there is relatively minor difference in fillet quality between fish which were caught close to fish farms and those that were not; however, catches taken close to fish farms have a higher proportion of fish of poor quality. There is a detectable difference in taste between saithe associated and not associated with fish farms, but there are conflicting results on which tastes better and is probably a matter of consumer preference.

Along with the more commonly used cod and alaska pollock, fish fingers can be made using saithe.

Saithe is also used as food for domestic cats.