Pollack

By Alex Clayton · Updated 23 October 2026

Search for pollock fish and most results describe Alaska pollock (Gadus chalcogrammus), a North Pacific whitefish sold on frozen packs. The fish British sea anglers catch is pollack, Pollachius pollachius, a member of the cod family that hunts around rocks, wrecks and kelp forests off all coasts of Britain and Ireland.

It is a fish of rocky ground: smaller fish come within reach of shore anglers and bigger ones hold over offshore wrecks. Its rules have also changed since 2025. This guide covers telling pollack from saithe and cod, how big they grow, where and when to find them, shore and boat methods, and what the size limit, the agreed bag limit and the voluntary Pollack Pact say. For other species, see our UK sea fish species guides.

Pollack, Pollock or Saithe: Which Fish Is Which?

The “pollock” on a pack of frozen fillets is usually not the pollack you would catch off a Cornish rock mark. Three fish share versions of the name.

Pollack (Pollachius pollachius) lives in the north-east Atlantic and is the British sport fish this page covers.
Alaska pollock (Gadus chalcogrammus) comes from the North Pacific and is the usual “pollock” on frozen and processed packs.
Saithe (Pollachius virens) is pollack’s close relative, also called coalfish and sold as coley. One fishmonger notes it is sometimes labelled pollock too. It has its own page: our coalfish (saithe) guide.

Common name	Latin name	Where you meet it
Pollack	Pollachius pollachius	UK rocks, kelp and wrecks
Alaska pollock	Gadus chalcogrammus	Frozen and processed fish, North Pacific
Saithe (coalfish, coley)	Pollachius virens	UK and North Atlantic waters; fishmongers as coley

Spelling adds to the muddle. In Britain, “pollack” is the usual spelling for the rod-caught fish, while “pollock” is common in US English and on packaging, so the pollock fish on a label and the pollack on your line may not be the same species.

If the fish in your hand has a jutting lower jaw and a dark lateral line that curves over the pectoral fin, it is a pollack. The next section shows how to check.

How to Identify a Pollack (and Not Mistake It for Saithe or Cod)

A pollack and a saithe of the same size look almost identical in a wet hand on a slippery rock. That matters, because their legal minimum sizes differ: 30cm for pollack and 35cm for saithe in UK waters.

Three checks, based on the features in the Marine Biological Association’s MarLIN species account, settle it:

Lower jaw. On a pollack the lower jaw sticks out beyond the upper. On saithe the jaws are about level.
Lateral line. A pollack’s lateral line is dark and arches up over the pectoral fin. A saithe’s runs straight.
Chin barbel. Pollack have none. Cod have an obvious one.

Pollack also have large yellow eyes and three dorsal fins. Colour varies with habitat, so check it last.

Species	Lower jaw	Lateral line	Chin barbel	Other clue	Minimum size
Pollack	Protrudes	Dark, curves over pectoral fin	None	Large yellow eyes	30cm
Saithe	About level	Pale, straight	None or tiny	Dark back	35cm
Cod	Upper jaw longer	Pale, curves	Obvious	Mottled flanks	Check GOV.UK
Haddock	Upper jaw longer	Black	Small	Dark “thumbprint” blotch	Check GOV.UK
Whiting	Upper jaw longer	Pale	Tiny or none	Dark spot at pectoral fin base	Check GOV.UK

For the cod side of the comparison, see our cod species guide, and for wider practice, how to identify UK fish.

Check the jaw first, then the lateral line. Misidentify a fish between 30cm and 35cm and you could be keeping an undersized saithe.

Pollack Size, Growth and British Records

The British shore record for pollack has stood since 1986 and the boat record since 1987. The boat record can no longer be beaten on weight at all.

Pollack grow quickly. MarLIN puts juveniles at about 17cm in their first year. At about three years old and up to 40cm, they move out to deeper water of 40 to 100m, and adults can reach 130cm and 14kg.

The Angling Trust describes pollack as fast-growing with a relatively short lifespan. It cites Pollack FISP research showing most mature at about 50cm, the figure behind the voluntary size covered in the rules section below.

These are the current records on the British Record (rod-caught) Fish Committee list, June 2026:

Category	Weight	Year	Captor	Venue
Boat	29lb 4oz (13.267kg)	1987	W S Mayes	Dungeness, Kent
Shore	18lb 4oz (8.277kg)	1986	C Lowe	Abbotsbury, Dorset

The BRFC froze its weight-based boat list in June 2024 and now accepts only measurement-based boat claims, with a qualifying length of 100cm. The shore qualifying length is 80cm. If you think you have a contender, check the current BRFC listings and claim rules via the Angling Trust before you submit a claim.

Size is also the best guide to a fish’s history: on the Pollack FISP figure, a pollack over 50cm is probably mature.

Where and When to Find Pollack Around the UK

Tracking research suggests a pollack may stay close to one home wreck for long periods. That changes how you fish a mark: rotate between several rather than working the same one every trip.

Habitat. MarLIN lists rocks, wrecks and kelp forests as pollack ground, off all coasts of Britain and Ireland. Rocky, Atlantic-facing coasts in the South West, Wales and western Scotland are widely regarded as the strongest areas, though any coast with good structure can hold them.

Depth and age. Smaller fish stay inshore over kelp and rock, within reach of shore anglers. From about three years old and 40cm they move out to 40 to 100m, which is why the bigger pollack come mostly from boats over offshore wrecks and reefs.

Residency. The Angling Trust and the Professional Boatmen’s Association (PBA) cite Pollack FISP tracking showing pollack are highly residential around a home wreck. Their advice is to rotate wrecks and marks.

Feeding. Adults hunt singly or in small groups near the seabed and dart up at sand eel shoals. MarLIN lists deep-sea prawns, herring, sand eels and sprat in the diet. Many shore lure anglers favour the low light of dawn and dusk.

Season. Pollack spawn from January to April, most intensely in March. The Angling Trust asks anglers to consider avoiding spawning pollack from January to March. Inshore fish are generally easier to reach in the warmer months.

If you fish from the shore, start over kelp-fringed rock at first and last light.

How to Catch Pollack from the Shore and Boat

If you carry one lure type for pollack, make it a soft sand eel imitation. Pollack hunt sand eels near the bottom, so a fish-shaped lure worked close to the kelp or the wreck matches what they already eat.

The tackle below is a typical starting point. Scale it up or down for depth, tide and snags.

From the shore

Look for rock marks with kelp and deeper water close in. A common setup is:

a 9 to 10ft lure rod
a 4000 to 5000 size fixed-spool reel
braid main line of around 20 to 30lb, with a fluorocarbon leader
soft paddle-tail shads or rubber eels of roughly 4 to 7in, on jig heads heavy enough to reach bottom in the depth and tide (often 20 to 40g)
metals and plugs as back-ups

Cast, count the lure down, then retrieve steadily just above the kelp. When a pollack hits, keep the rod up and the reel turning. A hooked pollack usually dives straight for the weed, and one that reaches it is often lost. The same rocky marks and much of the same tackle suit bass lure fishing, so one outfit can cover both.

From a boat

Wrecks and reefs produce the bigger fish. The usual methods are drifting soft shads or rubber eels on long flowing traces, vertical jigging, or live sand eel where you can get it.

Fish brought up from depth often suffer barotrauma, so plan your release before you start (see the release steps below). Rotate wrecks and marks rather than working one hard, as the Angling Trust and PBA advise.

Best for: anglers who enjoy lure fishing over rough ground. Skip: heavy bait tackle, unless you are fishing live sand eel from a boat.

Pollack Rules: Size Limits, Bag Limits and the Pollack Pact

The legal minimum size for pollack is 30cm, yet most pollack do not mature until about 50cm. A fish you can legally keep may never have spawned.

The Angling Trust, an advocacy body for anglers, says pollack stocks have been under pressure since 2022 scientific advice, and the commercial pollack fishery was closed in 2023. Pollack is one of 43 species in the MMO-led Celtic Sea and Western Channel Fisheries Management Plan, according to the Angling Trust’s pollack page.

The table separates law from agreed and voluntary measures:

Rule	Status	Source
Minimum size 30cm (MCRS, UK waters)	Law; applies to fish you land	GOV.UK MCRS page (updated 3 February 2026)
Saithe minimum size 35cm, for comparison	Law	GOV.UK MCRS page
Three-fish recreational bag limit	Agreed UK-EU in December 2025, due “in principle no later than 1 June 2026”; on 10 July 2026 the Angling Trust said the implementing legislation was not yet in place	Angling Trust, Dec 2025; Angling Trust, Jul 2026
Five fish per angler per day	Voluntary (Pollack Pact)	Angling Trust and PBA, Feb 2025
Release fish under 50cm	Voluntary (Pollack Pact)	Angling Trust and PBA
Consider avoiding spawning pollack, January to March	Voluntary (Pollack Pact)	Angling Trust and PBA

Treat the three-fish limit as agreed, not confirmed in force. Check the current position on GOV.UK and with the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) before you fish. The Angling Trust says EU proposals for a two-fish limit and a recreational-only closed season were resisted.

The 30cm minimum applies across UK waters. For any extra rules in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, check with the Scottish Government’s Marine Directorate, the Welsh Government or DAERA in Northern Ireland.

Releasing pollack caught from depth

The Pollack Pact only works if released fish survive. The Angling Trust’s guidance:

Decide quickly. Fish under 30cm must go back. Fish under 50cm should go back if you follow the Pact.
Use a descending device for any fish showing barotrauma, such as a bloated body or the eyes or stomach pushed out. Pollack FISP research found 3 in 4 pollack released this way survived, even with barotrauma.
Handle gently. Use wet hands or fish-friendly gloves, and never lift a fish by the gills.
Make unhooking easy. Barbless hooks speed release. If the fish is deeply hooked, cut the line.

The law sets the floor at 30cm. Keeping a few fish of 50cm or more, outside the spawning months, is the approach the angling bodies recommend.

Frequently asked questions

Is pollock the same as cod?

No. Both belong to the cod family, but British pollack (Pollachius pollachius) has a jutting lower jaw and no chin barbel, while cod (Gadus morhua) has an obvious barbel and a longer upper jaw. Alaska pollock is a separate Pacific species.

Is pollack good to eat?

Yes. Pollack is a mild white fish, though one fishmonger notes its flesh deteriorates faster than cod once landed, so bleed and chill any fish you keep promptly. Keep only fish of at least 30cm, the legal minimum, and ideally 50cm or more under the Pollack Pact.

Is coley the same as pollack?

No. Coley is the trade name for saithe, also called coalfish (Pollachius virens), a close relative with a straight lateral line and level jaws. Its legal minimum size is 35cm, against 30cm for pollack.

When do pollack spawn?

Pollack spawn from January to April, most intensely in March, according to MarLIN. The Angling Trust asks anglers to consider avoiding spawning pollack from January to March, one of the voluntary measures in the Pollack Pact.

How big do pollack get?

Pollack can reach about 130cm and 14kg, according to MarLIN. The British boat record is 29lb 4oz (1987) and the shore record is 18lb 4oz (1986), on the BRFC's June 2026 list.