THE supermarket giant J Sainsbury, which describes itself as Britain's largest fishmonger, is renaming the white fish pollack because people are not buying it under its English title.
It will now be called Colin, not after any particular male of that name, but because it is the French word for hake. Pollack has become very popular in recent years as a sustainable alternative to cod.
Figures released by Seafish earlier this year showed that sales of pollack were continuing to increase (up 144 per cent to 5,511 tons).
Pollack is a relative of cod, which is caught in UK waters but also imported from the Pacific; and sales of sea bass, another farmed variety went up by up 27 per cent to 1,628 tons. It is thought that the Sainsbury's name change will apply only to pollack caught in UK waters. But pollack is far more popular in France, which is one of the biggest customers for British fish, than it is here. Sainsbury's says home sales of cod increase by nearly a third over Easter..
Many brand name seafood producers are also using the Alaskan version of pollack successfully. Birds Eye chief executive Martin Glenn recently disclosed that sales of its fish fingers made from pollack were outstripping those produced from cod, a trend it expected to continue.
The name of fish can be all important. Some years ago 'rock salmon' was a big favourite in London fish and chip shops. But rock salmon was an alternative name for dogfish.
Should fisheries be closed during breeding time to allow stocks to reach more sustainable levels?
