Cod Fish

A codfish is a type of predatory saltwater fish. The term “cod” is a common name used for the groundfish genus Gadus, but particularly to members of the Atlantic cod or true cod family Gadidae and also the three associated families in the order Gadiformes. The Scientific Name is Gadus morhua Linnaeus. The most common species are the Pacific cod and Atlantic cod, which are closely linked with one another. Both species are well-known as a food with a bit different flavor profiles, while the livers from both the species are used to make the famous home remedy of cod liver oil. Because of high demand, Atlantic cod is susceptible due to high demand.

Gadus in it encapsulates eel, ray, flatfish and pollock. “cod” can mean Atlantic cod, Pacific cod, or any species of pollock, haddock, hake, and ling. That being said, some species belonging to the Gadus genus, like the Alaska pollock (Gadus chalcogrammus) are not well-established as cod.

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7 Incredible Facts about Codfish!

1. Cod fish are slow swimmers.

2. They are carnivorous and mainly eat other fish.

3. A cod animal can travel up to 200 miles in order to reach breeding grounds during the mating season.

4. Humans are the cod’s only enemies or predators.

5. Female cod’s can lay up to 5 million eggs, with most being consumed by other fish and sea creatures.

6. All species of cod have plenty of common names, most of them including the term "cod".

7. Many common names have been used of more than one species, in various places or at varying times.

How Many Species of Codfish are There?

There are 3 species of Codfish namely:-

1. Pacific cod, Gadus macrocephalus

2. Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua

3. Greenland cod, Gadus ogac

Species in Genus Gadus, Codfish Classification and Scientific Name

At times in the past, only a significant number of species have been classed in this genus. However, most of them are now either classified in other genera, or have been simply considered as forms of one of three species. Modern taxonomy, thus, recognizes only the above stated three species in this genus.

A great number of fish species in the order Perciformes are also referred to as “cod” though they are not true cod. These include:

• blue cod (Parapercis colias)

• black cod (Notothenia microlepidota)

• Maori cod (Paranotothenia magellanica)

• trout cod (Maccullochella macquariensis)

• Notothens (cod icefishes) belongs to the family Nototheniidae having Antarctic cod (Dissostichus mawsoni)

Coral cod, reef cod, as well as rock cod are in the order Perciformes. Most of the species are groupers that are in a similar order but in the family Serranidae and subfamily Epinephelinae. Both Whiting (Merlangius merlangus) and Haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) belong to the Gadidae family and are occasionally sold as cod.

Codfish Species and Common Names

There are as mentioned 3 official codfish species which are also recognized with different common names. Let’s find out that further in the table below:-

Codfish Physical Appearance And Identification- Diagnostic Features

Head comparatively narrow, interorbital space measuring to 15 to 22% of head length. Predorsal distance less than 33% of length. 

Both species of codfish consist of generally a green-brown color that can differ from grey-green to red-brown, with a white underbelly and a lighter underside. Both males and females cod’s have 3 dorsal fins, 2 anal fins, and a pair of pectoral fins. They also sport dark speckles on their sides, a beard-like barbel on their chins, which caters as a sensory organ for searching food. They also have a white lateral line which stretches out from the gill slit to the base of the tail and sets out to detect motion, vibration, and pressure in the surrounding water. Ultimately, a structure in the skull known as otolith has noticeable rings, the number of which identifies the cod’s age.

Cod Fish Size      

The different races reach different sizes, the oceanic cod commonly reaches up to 1 m and is perceived to obtain a length of 2 m. Local races consist of smaller fish.

Codfish Distribution and Habitat

The Atlantic cod’s population lives in the deep, cold waters of the North Atlantic. Pacific cod’s lives in both the western and the eastern areas of the northern Pacific, including Russian and Alaskan waters. Both these sea cod fish can be spotted at a depth range of 20-200ft with the Pacific cod at 3,000 ft. As groundfish, they reside and feed on the seafloor. While there is extreme demand for both species, Atlantic cod is listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN.

Codfish Population

There are a range of stocks of each species that are researched and evaluated for biomass or the number of reproducing females. Pacific cod is not particularly exposed to overfishing. But, because of overfishing in the late 20 century, Atlantic codfish has become an endangered species with a considerably reduced population. The revamping plan to reach target population levels takes into account regulations and restricted fishing status. Fishing for Pacific cod is even modulated with quotas for fishing traps.

Codfish Reproduction and Lifespan

The life cycle of codfish begins with spawning. Codfish are slow swimmers but can move up to 200 miles to breeding fields as part of mating season. They can reproduce year-round; however, they relocate to warmer waters during spring and winter season. Spawning takes place from February to April, with March and April being peak months. Their depth range is about 660ft during this time. During courtship, male codfish show their fins and grunt.

Female sea cod can lay up to 500 million eggs. After cods lay the eggs in batches, males participate to fertilize them. The eggs are susceptible to the components and most get consumed by other fish and sea organisms. The larvae are noticeably transparent, only 0.16in in length. Their size grows 40 times after 10 weeks as they prey on phytoplankton and zooplankton, later eating up small crustaceans. At 6 months, they reach a length of 3.1inches. Cods become sexually mature between 2 to 4 years when they get to a length of 20 inches.

The life cycle of codfish accompanies egg to larvae to juvenile to adult. Larvae are referred to as fry, while young codfish are known as codlings. Adult codfish can survive thirteen years or more in the wild contingent on the species. Atlantic cod, for instance, can live 25 years in the wild, while Pacific cod fish usually live 20 years. A difference in time it takes for juveniles to sexually mature does not alter the standard life cycle. For instance, cod in the northeast Arctic can take about 8 years to fully mature.

Codfish Cooking and Recipes

It is rightly said to have been happier with the cod fish in your plate, than to straggle for the taste of a tuna still swimming in the sea. Saltfish has made cod one of the most thriving fish dishes.

Saltfish is a specialty and a distinctive basis for many codfish recipes across the globe. As a crucial export of the North Atlantic area, it is an ingredient in many Mediterranean and Atlantic cuisines, such as Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese. For instance, there are different variations of fried cod fritters and codfish stew (also called saltfish fritters or salted cod cakes) which call particularly for salted codfish.

There are a variety of dishes that use regular cod. Fish and chips are a well-known example which originated in England. While codfish still remains the top pick, many providers replace it with rock salmon or white fish such as haddock, halibut, or plaice. Other examples of dishes that use regular cod are baked cod, pan-seared cod, cod stew, cod soup, fish tacos, fish sticks, and fish chowder. The white, dense, flaky, and mild-tasting flesh of codfish is highly versatile and fairly interchangeable with other whitefish.

Nutritional Value of Sea Codfish 

With respect to nutrition, cod is the fish with the greatest amount of protein per calorie, whether it is Pacific cod or Atlantic cod. Both the fishes are also well-known to provide considerable amounts of B-vitamins, selenium and phosphorus. Codfish is so quite recognized for nutrition that a popular old family remedy believes in the use of cod liver oil to treat wounds, rickets, arthritis, and depression. 

The oil is processed from cod livers of both Atlantic cod and Pacific cod and has highly concentrated amounts of omega-3 fatty acids (DHA and EPA) and vitamins A, D, and E.

In terms of Flavor, there is minimal difference between the two species. Pacific cod contains firm, chunky flakes with a milder and savory flavor. Atlantic cod has firmer and “flakier” flakes, sweeter, less moisture content, and an expanded market size. While people in the US enjoy Pacific cod and Alaska pollock, people in the UK quite favor Atlantic cod that they refer to as “scrod” when under 2.5lbs.

Interest to Fisheries    

Among the most crucial of all commercial species of fishes, cod has been recognized as "beef of the sea". The Atlantic cod has been capitalized upon ever since man started to fish in the seas of Europe. Its value as a main food-fish is humungous, and when salted and dried, it makes the most for export, trade and winter-time use.

The Atlantic cod is chiefly caught with pelagic trawls and bottom otter trawls. It is advertised fresh and frozen as fillets or whole, dried and salted, dried and unsalted, salted or sugar-salted, in brine, or smoked. The countries recorded with the largest catches were Iceland and Norway.