Friday 13 December 2013

Pollock & Basa: 2 Popular Seawater Fishes

There are many different kinds of fish recipes prepared in different countries across the world. Almost all Asian countries together constitute the largest producer and consumer of seafood in the world. Shrimp, Crab and Fish are the main seafood consumed around the world. Here in this post, we will discuss about two popular seawater fishes used to prepare many delicious fish dishes. Let’s get across.


1.Basa Fish
 
Its biological name is Pangasius bocourti. It’s a kind of catfish in the family Pangasiidae, kingdom Animalia, Phylum Chordata, and class Actinopterygii. These fish are native to Mekong River Delta in Vietnam and Chao Phraya basin in Thailand. This fish has a lot of popularity in the International market. In UK, this species is mostly known as ‘river cobbler’.

These fish exhibit a stout and heavy body. This species grows up to 120 cm (47 in) in length. The rounded head is broader compared to its length with the blunt snout containing a white band on the muzzle. These fish depend on plants for food. The fish of this species deposit eggs at the onset of the flood season and the young fishes are first seen in the month of June. By mid-June these juveniles become about 5cm long. Here is the good article about Basa fish by seafood exporter Siam Canadian.


Environmental and Health Concerns
 
There are a no. of environmental organizations across the globe that have raised concerns about this species. There are also concerns raised about the feed quality, operating standards of farms and biological impact of using wild stock of this species. These concerns are raised by an organization Vancouver Aquarium. Another organization named as the Monterey Bay Aquarium does not red-flag these fish.

These fish have become fairly common in UK markets where you can find these fish in large supermarkets in both fresh and frozen forms. These fish are liked by UK people as a cheaper alternative of white fish which is traditionally popular there.

2.Pollock Fish
 
It’s biologically named as Pollachius pollachius (Pollack) or Pollachius virens (Saithe). So there are two recognized species in this particular genus. Biologically this species belongs to kingdom Animalia, phylum Chordata, class Actinopterygii, order Gardiformes and family Gadidae.

Both the species can grow up to a maximum length of 3 ft 6 in (1.07m) and a maximum weight of 46 lb (21 kg). Every fish in both the species exhibits the common characteristic feature like a strongly defined, silvery line laterally spreading down both sides. The color above this silvery line is slightly greenish black. They are known as ‘whitefish’ with a white belly. These fish can be found in deep water up to 180m deep.

These fish including other species of this family are often plagued by parasites. The female parasite of cod worm (Lemaeocera branhialis), which is a copepod crustacean, affects the gills of the fish. It then generates fertilized eggs and develops wormlike bodies.

These fish are highly consumed as food in many American and European countries.