Gadus morhua Linnaeus, 1758

Atlantic cod

Catalog of Fishes (gen., sp.) | ITIS | CoL

Classification	Actinopterygii \| Gadiformes \| Gadidae
Synonyms	Gadus morhua morhua, Gadus arenosus, Gadus callarias, ... more
Common names	Morue de l'Atlantique, Bacalao del Atlántico, Old soaker, ... more

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AquaMaps Data sources: GBIF OBIS

Main reference

Cohen, D.M., T. Inada, T. Iwamoto and N. Scialabba. 1990. (Ref. 1371)
Other references | Biblio | Coordinator | Collaborators

Size / Weight / Age

Max length : 200 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 1371); common length : 100.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 1371); max. published weight: 96.0 kg (Ref. 9988); max. reported age: 25 years (Ref. 173)

Environment

Benthopelagic; oceanodromous (Ref. 51243); brackish; marine; depth range 0 - 600 m (Ref. 1371), usually 150 - 200 m (Ref. 54441)

Climate / Range

Temperate; ? - 20°C (Ref. 9988); 80°N - 35°N, 95°W - 61°E (Ref. 1371)

Northwest to Northeast Atlantic: Cape Hatteras to Ungava Bay along the North American coast; east and west coast of Greenland; around Iceland; coasts of Europe from the Bay of Biscay to the Barents Sea, including the region around Bear Island.
Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Introductions

Short description

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 44 - 55; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 33 - 45; Vertebrae: 51 - 55. Color varies from brownish to greenish or gray dorsally and on upper sides, becoming pale and silvery ventrally. Lateral line light, curving upward to above the pectoral fin. Predorsal distance less than 1/3 of total length, body depth about 1/5 of total length. Peritoneum silvery.

This is an epibenthic-pelagic species (Ref. 58426). It is widely distributed in a variety of habitats, from the shoreline down to the continental shelf. Cod form schools during the day. Cod are omnivorous; they feed at dawn or dusk on invertebrates and fish, including young cod. Cod spawn once a year, in batches (Ref. 51846). The most important stocks are the Norwegian Arctic stock in the Barents Sea and the Icelandic stock. The populations around Greenland and Newfoundland have declined dramatically (Ref. 35388). Results of a 30-yr time-series analysis of a heavily exploited population supports the hypothesis that size-selective fishing induces genetic changes in growth -- small size-at-age continued despite little fishing for over a decade and good conditions for growth (Ref. 81225; 81226). Older and larger cod had been found to produce larger eggs with neutral buoyancy which can be crucial to egg and larval survival (Refs. 31930; 38384). Cod is marketed fresh, dried or salted, smoked and frozen; eaten steamed, fried, broiled, boiled, microwaved and baked (Ref. 9988). Over 12 nucleotide substitutions in the 307 base pair region of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene differentiate this species from Gadus ogac (Ref. 40214).


IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 57073)	Threat to humans
Vulnerable (VU) (A1bd)	Harmless

Human uses
Fisheries: highly commercial; aquaculture: commercial; gamefish: yes


More information
Countries FAO areas Ecosystems Occurrences Introductions Ecology Diet Food items Food consumption Ration	Common names Synonyms Metabolism Predators Ecotoxicology Reproduction Maturity Spawning Eggs Egg development	Age/Size Growth Length-weight Length-length Length-frequencies Morphometrics Morphology Larvae Larval dynamics Recruitment	Other references Biblio Aquaculture Aquaculture profile Strains Genetics Allele frequencies Heritability Diseases Processing	Collaborators Pictures Stamps Sounds Ciguatera Speed Swim. type Gill area Otoliths Brains Vision

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Internet sources

Estimation of some characteristics with mathematical models

Resilience (Ref. 69278)

Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (rm=0.2-1.1; also Musick et al. 2000 (Ref. 36717))


Vulnerability (Ref. 59153)	Price category (Ref. 80766)
High vulnerability (65 of 100)	Medium

Entered by Luna, Susan M.

Modified by Capuli, Estelita Emily

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