8. Sometimes, even a non-story is noteworthy. In January, various industry media outlets — except, notably, SeafoodSource — reported erroneously that the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) was changing the scientific designation of Alaska pollock, also known as Walleye pollock, such that the pollock could technically be labeled as cod.
However, as SeafoodSource correctly reported several days later, it’s not quite that simple. Scientists at NOAA told SeafoodSource they were merely considering the change in light of new genetic studies showing that pollock was a lot more similar to Pacific, Atlantic and Greenland cod species than previously thought.
But one does not simply change the scientific name of a species — it’s an involved process that would include a number of international organizations including the World Trade Organization and the U.N.’s Food and Agriculture Organization.
It’s understandable that the industry reacted strongly. The Alaska seafood industry is particularly concerned about anything connected to its livelihood, and a name change, while ultimately not changing the fish at all, would lead to a sudden surge in cod product, and a sudden loss of pollock. That could wreak havoc on the markets, and the industry should worry about the potential impact of a name change. It just might make sense next time to hold off on panicking until the name actually does change.
