Cod

Atlantic Cod (Gadus morhua), is one of the most popular food fish in the western world. Distinguished by a distinctive elongated hairlike structure called a “barbell” that hangs from its chin, it also has three dorsal fins, two anal fins, and a broom-shaped tail. The Atlantic cod is longer-lived and larger than its Pacific counterpart, and may reach 25 years in age, 7ft in length, and 210lbs in mass. (Most Atlantic cod, however, weigh closer to about 65lbs.) Atlantic cod are brown to green or gray on the dorsal side and flanks, with a pale ventral side and smooth, small scales.

Click here to see all of our Cod Shows

Click here for the recommended Cod Tackle.

Feeding Habits: Atlantic cod are omnivorous, feeding at dawn or dusk on a variety of invertebrates and fish. The northeast Arctic cod also shows cannibalistic behavior. Prior to its recent population decline, the adult Atlantic cod was a top-tier predator in the northwest Atlantic, along with haddock, pollack, and hake, feeding upon smaller prey such as herring, capelin, shrimp, and snow crab. Now that the cod stocks have markedly decreased, their prey has had a population explosion, and many of those animals have become the top predators in that food chain. Larval cod feed on krill, and other small crustaceans and fish.

Reproduction: Both sexes usually reproduce for the first time when they are 5 or 6 years old. The number of eggs produced in a given year of females increases with size and age. A 40 inch female may lay about 3 million eggs, and a 50 inch female up to 9 million eggs in one spawning season. The Atlantic cod is a winter spawner. It reproduces from November to December along the coast of southern New England. Spawning takes place at depths of 3 to 350 feet, with the greatest activity occurring in about 200 feet of water. Adults inhabiting inshore areas generally move offshore to reproduce. Larvae measuring 0.2 inches hatch from 10 to 40 days after spawning, depending upon the water temperature.