What you're looking at
The pollack (Pollachius pollachius) is the rocky-ground gadoid — a hard-fighting cousin of the cod with a longer, more streamlined body, a projecting lower jaw, and an unmistakable dark, sharply-curved lateral line. Found over reefs, wrecks and kelp-fringed coastlines around the UK.
Key features
- Dorsal fins: Three separate dorsals — the gadoid signature.
- Jaw: Lower jaw projects clearly beyond the upper — the opposite of cod. No chin barbel.
- Lateral line: Dark, distinctly curved over the pectoral fin, then dipping back down to run along the body. Almost a hook shape.
- Body: Olive-green to brassy-bronze, often with subtle vertical bars on the upper flanks; pale belly.
- Tail: Forked rather than fanned (cod's tail is more square).
- Size: Shore fish 1–3 kg; 4–6 kg from deep marks and wrecks is common; UK record over 13 kg.
Confusion species
- Cod: Upper jaw projects, chin barbel present, pale and almost-straight lateral line. Heavier shouldered.
- Coalfish (saithe): Also has projecting lower jaw and three dorsals, but a much paler, almost-straight lateral line, and a darker, more slate-grey overall colour. Smaller mouth.
- Whiting: Slimmer, much smaller, no curved lateral line, dark spot at the base of the pectoral.
Where to find them
Rough ground — reefs, kelp gullies, harbour walls, and submerged wrecks. They feed by ambush in the water column rather than on the bottom; a slow-retrieved lure or live sand-eel above the structure is the deadly approach. Best months are late spring through autumn, with the biggest fish coming from deeper wrecks in mid-summer.