Alaska Pollock Labelling Faces New Requirements

Constituent Update

January 21, 2016

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has updated its Seafood List to reflect a change for fish labeled as “Alaska Pollock.”

As mandated by Congress in the Fiscal Year 2016 Omnibus Appropriations, only Gadus chalcogrammus caught in Alaskan waters or the exclusive economic zone (as defined in section 3 of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act) adjacent to Alaska can be called Alaskan “Pollock” or Alaska “Pollock.” 

Previously, pollock harvested outside Alaskan waters or the exclusive economic zone were allowed to be labeled as “Alaska Pollock.” These fish can now be labeled only as “Pollock.”

This change is effective immediately.

For more information on the FDA’s regulation of seafood:

• www.fda.gov/seafood
• Guidance for Industry: The Seafood List - FDA's Guide to Acceptable Market Names for Seafood Sold in Interstate Commerce