Senator for Alaska, Lisa Murkowski, is urging the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to change the legal market name of Alaska-caught pollock simply to ‘pollock’.

Lisa Murkowski wants to change the name of Alaska-caught pollock to ‘pollock’

Lisa Murkowski wants to change the name of Alaska-caught pollock to ‘pollock’

She believes that the change would allow Alaskan-caught pollock to be differentiated by region and better distinguish the fish harvested in Alaskan waters from “inferior” Russian pollock being sold as ‘Alaskan pollock’ in stores throughout the USA.

Senator Murkowski believes the labelling move is necessary because she says Alaska’s fisheries are far more rigorously managed than Russian waters, and therefore much higher quality.

The Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers (GAPP) support Murkowski’s efforts and have previously cited several reasons for the requested change: The use of “Alaska pollock” as an acceptable market name is misleading to consumers; ‘Alaska pollock’ is understood by consumers to connote a geographic origin, not a particular kind of food from any geographic origin; the use of ‘Alaska pollock’ as an acceptable market name is inconsistent with other similar fish species; and US government programs support other efforts to provide accurate information to consumers about the seafood they purchase.

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