Louisiana Foods Fish Fact for:
HADDOCK

Stroll around the stalls at London's Billingsgate Market and it's obvious that the UK is home to some serious haddock fans. In addition to fresh fish, you'll find a rainbow of smoked product (a.k.a., finnan haddie) that ranges from cream colored to almost fluorescent yellow. Whether it ends up in a basket of fish and chips or atop toast points, this is a fish that's never gone out of style.

Fortunately for the Brits, they have access to ample supplies of haddock, thanks to strong catches in Norway, Ice-land and Scotland. The same, it turns out, is true for North American consumers. Home-grown haddock, of course, is hardly abundant, but both Norway and Iceland are ship-ping more and more product west.

As more buyers discover it, they're realizing happily that there's no need for haddock to go out of style here, either.

Species Specifics
  • Haddock generally favor deeper water than cod, although newly born juveniles spend the first several months of their lives near the surface.
  • As with cod, the term "scrod" refers to haddock between 1-1/2 and 2 pounds. According to the FDA, the term should be accompanied by a species name, as in scrod haddock.
  • Roughly 75% of U.S. haddock landings typically come from Georges Bank (1.5 million pounds in 1993). Under an amendment to NMFS' groundfish management plan (currently under debate), the proposed first year quota could go up to 2.2 million pounds.
  • Despite Canada's own groundfish tragedy, the country still caught nearly 7,000 tons of haddock in 1994. The 1995 quota is 6,200 tons.
  • After peaking in 1969 at 1 million tons, the world haddock catch declined to around 200,000 tons by 1992. It has since rebounded slightly, led by 50,000 plus ton catches in Norway, Iceland and Scotland.

BUSTING BANK ROBBERS
Anyone who doubts that NMFS is serious about its continuing closure of much of Georges Bank should consider the fate of the Orion, a Gloucester based dragger arrested in late April for allegedly fishing in a closed area. When boarded inside the closed area on April 24, Coast Guard officials noted "wet, dripping fishing gear and live fish aboard the boat's deck," including 15,000 pounds of finfish (350 pounds of it haddock). Citing "both the intentional nature of the violation and the crisis facing the groundfish fishery," officials are seeking a $100,000 civil penalty and five year license sanctions against the boat and its owners.

The above information is from the Seafood Leader.
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