Unknown fish species caught in set-net gear
OBSERVATION: Very unusual fish was caught by commercial set netters in the Togiak Bay area this week. A member of the crew stated that in the 18 years of commercial fishing, this is the first encounter with this type of animal. Is it possible that climate change is having an impact on the fish, resulting in an adaptation change? We think that the type of fish it might be is a rock fish or bass. Brian Abraham, LEO
CONSULT: With the help of Gay Sheffield, Alaska Sea Grant Agent, we have (we think) identified this fish as an Atka mackerel. Why you have seen one now, is a good question and LEO Network will be interested if you continue to catch more. A good description of the Atka mackerel is provided at the Alaska Department of Fish and Game website. They write: Atka mackerel (Pleurogrammus monopterygius) is a gregarious, semi-pelagic and semi-demersal hexagrammid that is distributed in the continental shelf regions across the North Pacific Ocean and Bering Sea from Asia to North America. On the Asian side their distribution extends from the Kurile Islands to the Gulf of Anadyrskiy. From Kamchatka, they extend eastward through the Komandorskiye and Aleutian Islands, north to the Pribilof Islands in the eastern Bering Sea, and eastward through the Gulf of Alaska to southeast Alaska. Their center of abundance is in the central and western Aleutian archipelago where a directed commercial trawl fishery operates. Atka mackerel is a key prey item for marine fishes, birds, and mammals, including the endangered Steller sea lion.
SUPPLEMENTAL: This fish is delicious and for the ambitious chef, you can find some great recipes for Atka mackrel at Epicurious.
