PORT ORCHARD  (AP) — Federal scientists at a research facility near Seattle are studying ways to make it easier and more efficient to commercially grow a fish prized for its buttery flavor.

The project to grow sablefish is part of a larger effort by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to support marine aquaculture to feed growing demand worldwide for seafood.

The sablefish is also known as black cod or butter fish. It is a fin fish native to the northeast Pacific Ocean. It's highly valued in Asia for its delicate flavor.

U.S. West Coast fishermen mostly in Alaska catch millions of pounds of wild sablefish each year. Some see a potential opportunity to farm the sablefish.

NOAA fisheries researches are developing new techniques to could help make farming the fish more viable.