Sablefish

The sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria) is one of two members of the fish family Anoplopomatidae and the only species in the genus Anoplopoma.<ref name = Fishbase/> In English, common names for it include sable (US), butterfish (US), black cod (US, UK, Canada), blue cod (UK), bluefish (UK), candlefish (UK), coal cod (UK), snowfish ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}; Thailand), coalfish (Canada), beshow, and skil (Canada), although many of these names also refer to other, unrelated, species.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The US Food and Drug Administration accepts only "sablefish" as the acceptable market name in the United States; "black cod" is considered a vernacular (regional) name and should not be used as a statement of identity for this species.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The sablefish is found in muddy sea beds in the North Pacific Ocean at depths of Template:Cvt and is commercially important to Japan.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name=Burros>Template:Cite news</ref>

Description

File:Anoplopoma fimbria.png

Illustration

The sablefish is a species of deep-sea fish common to the North Pacific Ocean.<ref>{{#if:167123 | {{#invoke:template wrapper|wrap|_template=cite web|_exclude=id,ID,taxon

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 | title = Anoplopoma fimbria
 | publisher = Integrated Taxonomic Information System
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| Template:Citation error }}</ref> Adult sablefish are opportunistic piscivores, preying on Alaskan pollock, eulachon, capelin, herring, sandlance, and Pacific cod, as well as squid, euphausiids, and jellyfish.<ref>Template:Cite tech report</ref> Sablefish are long-lived, with a maximum recorded age of 94 years<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> although the majority of the commercial catch in many areas is less than 20 years old.<ref name= "AFSC2017" /><ref name= "pcouncil2015" />

Sablefish growth varies regionally, with larger maximum sizes in Alaska,<ref name="pcouncil2015" /> where total lengths up to Template:Cvt weights up to Template:Cvt have been recorded.<ref name=":0">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> However, average lengths are typically below Template:Cvt and Template:Cvt.<ref name=":0" /><ref name="pcouncil2015" />

Tagging studies have indicated that sablefish have been observed to move as much as Template:Cvt before recapture with one study estimating an average distance between release and recapture of Template:Cvt, with an average annual movement of Template:Cvt.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

• Sablefish resting on sediment.jpg

  Sablefish resting on soft sediment 302 m (991 ft) deep

• 4sablefish 500.jpg

  Resting on soft sediment of a 800 m deep canyon floor.

Fisheries

Sablefish are typically caught in bottom trawl, longline and pot fisheries. In the Northeast Pacific, sablefish fisheries are managed separately in three areas: Alaska, the Canadian province of British Columbia, and the west coast of the contiguous United States (Washington, Oregon, and California). In all these areas catches peaked in the 1970s and 80s and have been lower since that time due to a combination of reduced populations and management restrictions.<ref name="AFSC2017">Template:Citation</ref><ref name=DFO2016>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="pcouncil2015">Template:Citation</ref> The sablefish longline fishery in Alaska has been certified as sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> as is the US West Coast limited entry groundfish trawl fishery which includes sablefish.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Longline fisheries in Alaska frequently experience predation of sablefish by killer whales and sperm whales which remove the fish from the hooks during the process of retrieving the gear.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:CitationTemplate:Cbignore</ref>

Sablefish aquaculture is an area of active research.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

• Small sablefish.jpg

  Small sablefish caught in a bottom trawl survey off the coast of California

• Black Cod May wc4.jpg

  A tote of sablefish being processed in Juneau, Alaska.

• Sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria).webm

  Live sablefish at a T&T supermarket.

Culinary use

The white flesh of the sablefish is soft-textured and mildly flavored. It is considered a delicacy in many countries.Template:Which When cooked, its flaky texture is similar to Patagonian toothfish (Chilean sea bass). The meat has a high fat content and can be prepared in many ways, including grilling, smoking, or frying, or served as sushi.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Sablefish flesh is high in long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, EPA, and DHA. It contains about as much as wild salmon.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Smoked sablefish, often called simply "sable", has long been a staple of New York appetizing stores, one of many smoked fish products usually eaten with bagels for breakfast in American Jewish cuisine.<ref name=Burros/><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

In Japanese cuisine, the black cod (gindara) is often cooked saikyo yaki style, marinated for several days in sweet white miso or sake lees (kasuzuke) then broiled.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The Japanese-Peruvian-American chef Nobu Matsuhisa introduced his version of gindara saikyo yaki at his restaurant in Los Angeles, and brought it to his New York restaurant Nobu in 1994, where it is considered his signature dish, under the name "Black Cod with Miso".<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite periodical</ref><ref name=Burros/> Kasuzuke sablefish is popular in Seattle thanks to a large Japanese community in that area.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Nutrition

Nutritional information for sablefish is as follows.<ref>Exact Scientific Services. (2023). West Coast Groundfish Nutrient Profiles: Exact Scientific Lab Results. Commissioned by Jana Hennig. Retrieved from https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5a3051588fd4d2db4fb25f26/t/63e40842950bac0c12f8e22b/1675888709465/0+West+Coast+Groundfish+nutrient+profiles+-+Exact+Scientific+lab+results.pdf</ref>

Serving Size 100g Calories 158 kcal Protein 14.4 g Protein calories: 61 kcal Protein calories % : 39% Fat 10.7 g Fat calories: 96 kcal Fat calories % : 61% Carbohydrate 0.0 g Carbohydrate calories: 0 kcal Carbohydrate calories % : 0.0% Cholesterol 43.3 mg Sodium 43.6 mg

Serving Size per 100g per 100 kcal Omega 3 (EPA+DHA) 1792 mg 1137 mg Vitamin B3 1.6 mg 1.0 mg Vitamin B6 0.2 mg 0.1 mg Vitamin B12 2.4 mcg 1.5 mcg Vitamin D 132 IU 84 IU Vitamin E 3 mg 1.9 mg Calcium 4.4 mg 2.8 mg Magnesium 18.9 mg 12.0 mg Phosphorus 194 mg 123 mg Potassium 363 mg 230 mg Selenium 30 mcg 19 mcg

Mercury content

Studies of accumulated mercury levels find average mercury concentrations from 0.1 ppm,<ref name=2014alaska>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>Template:Rp 0.2 ppm,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and up to 0.4 ppm.<ref name=FDA>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The US Food and Drug Administration puts sablefish in the "Good Choices" category in their guide for pregnant women and parents, and recommends one 4-ounce serving (uncooked) a week for an adult, less for children.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> On the other hand, the Alaska epidemiology section considers Alaska sablefish to be "low in mercury"<ref name=2014alaska/>Template:Rp and advises no restrictions on sablefish consumption by all populations.<ref name=2014alaska/>Template:Rp

External links

• Sablefish on the NOAA FishWatch site
• Canadian Sablefish Association