Atlantic Pollock Identification Guide
Tell the Atlantic Pollock apart by its greenish back, protruding lower jaw, and lack of a chin barbel.
Read the full Atlantic Pollock encyclopedia entry →
Key identification features
- Sleek, streamlined body with a greenish-olive to bronze back fading to silvery sides and belly
- Distinctly protruding lower jaw, giving a slight underbite look
- No chin barbel, unlike its close cod-family relatives
- Three separate dorsal fins and two anal fins, all well spaced
- Curved, pale lateral line arching over the pectoral fin before straightening toward the tail
- Forked tail fin, more deeply notched than a cod's
Common look-alikes
- Atlantic cod: has a prominent chin barbel and a straighter lateral line, plus a more square-cut tail.
- Haddock: shows a bold black lateral line and a distinctive dark "thumbprint" spot above the pectoral fin, both absent in Pollock.
- Coalfish/saithe (regional name): essentially the same species, so no true separate look-alike exists once jaw and barbel are checked.
Where you'll see one
Atlantic Pollock range throughout the cold, temperate waters of the North Atlantic, from the Gulf of Maine to the Barents Sea, often schooling at mid-depths over rocky reefs, wrecks, and open water well off the bottom, unlike the more bottom-hugging cod and haddock.
Frequently asked questions
How do I tell an Atlantic Pollock from a cod?
Check the chin: cod have a barbel and Pollock do not. Pollock also have a more protruding lower jaw and a more deeply forked tail.
What separates Atlantic Pollock from haddock?
Haddock have a bold black lateral line and a dark thumbprint mark near the pectoral fin, while Pollock have a plain, curved, pale lateral line and no such spot.
Atlantic Pollock identified by the community
Recent Atlantic Pollock catches identified with Fish Identifier.
