Product Name: Sablefish

Scientific Name: Anoplopoma fimbria

Origin: Alaska.USA

The sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria) is one of two members of the fish family Anoplopomatidae and the only species in the genus Anoplopoma. It is commonly known as black cod or butterfish, though it is not related to the true cod family (Gadidae).

The sablefish is a deep-sea species found in the Northeastern Pacific Ocean, ranging from northern Mexico to the Gulf of Alaska, westward to the Aleutian Islands and into the Bering Sea.

Adult sablefish are opportunistic feeders, preying on fish (including Alaska pollock, eulachon, capelin, herring, sandlance, and Pacific cod), squid, euphausiids, and jellyfish. Sablefish are long-lived, with a maximum recorded age of 94 years, although most individuals in the commercial catch are less than 20 years old.

Tagging studies have shown that sablefish can move up to 2,000 km between release and recapture. One study estimated an average distance of 602 km between release and recapture, with an average annual movement of 191 km.

Sablefish are typically harvested using bottom trawl, longline, and pot fisheries. In the Northeastern Pacific, the fishery is managed separately in three areas: Alaska, the Canadian province of British Columbia, and the U.S. West Coast (Washington, Oregon, and California).