The Alaska Pollock, or Walleye Pollock is the one of the most commonly eaten fish in the United States.  You may have eaten it without realizing it.  Alaska Pollock is used to make imitation crab meat, and many varieties of fish sticks and frozen fish.  McDonalds makes many of their fish sandwiches from Pollock (another type of fish, Hoki is sometimes used). 

In 2004, 1.5 million metric tons, or about 3,300,000,000 pounds of Pollock were fished from the waters around Alaska.  What effect is all this fishing on the numbers Pollock in the Bering Sea?  What about the other creatures in the area, like endangered Sea Lions, who depend on Pollock for food?

What about the warming climate?  Many fish and animals in the artic are suffering as the climate of the Earth warms. Animals like the polar bear need cold and ice in order to survive.  Many polar bears are dying as the ice they live on melts from under them.  What about the Alaska Pollock?  What do the warmer waters mean for these fish?

Information about the number of Alaska Pollock in the Bering Sea is important to scientists.  What do you think they will find out?  The NOAA Ship MILLER FREEMAN  will spend the summer in the Bering Sea to study this important fish.  Mr. Tanenbaum will be going along for a part of this adventure.  Check back here to follow Mr. Tanenbaum as he joins the ship on June 2^nd in Kodiak, Alaska.

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