Alaska pollock

The Alaska pollock or walleye pollock (Gadus chalcogrammus) is a marine fish species of the cod genus Gadus and family Gadidae. It is a semi-pelagic schooling fish widely distributed in the North Pacific, with largest concentrations found in the eastern Bering Sea. Alaska pollock was long put in its own genus, Theragra, and classified as Theragra chalcogramma, but research in 2008 has shown it is rather closely related to the Atlantic cod and should therefore be moved back to Gadus, where it was originally placed. In 2014, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that the official scientific name for the fish was changed from Theragra chalcogramma back to its original taxon Gadus chalcogrammus, highlighting its close genetic relationship to the other species of the cod genus Gadus. Since 2014, registries of scientific names for fish species (e.g. the United Nations’ ASFIS list and the World Registry of Marine Species (WoRMS) have largely adopted the Gadus chalcogrammus name. The change of the official scientific name was followed by a discussion to change the common name as well, to highlight the fish as a member of the cod genus. The common names "Alaska pollock" and "walleye pollock", both used as trade names internationally, are considered misleading by scientific and trade experts, as the names do not reflect the scientific classification. While belonging to the same family as the Atlantic pollock, the Alaska pollock is not a member of the genus Pollachius, but of the cod genus Gadus. Nevertheless, alternative trade names highlighting its placement in the cod genus, such as "snow cod", "bigeye cod", or direct deductions from the scientific names such as "copperline cod" (gadus meaning 'cod', chalco- from khalkós meaning 'copper', and grammí meaning 'line') or "lesser cod" (from the synonymous taxon Gadus minor) have yet to find widespread acceptance. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration even states that "[the common name] might never change, as common names are separate from scientific names".