ATLANTIC COD
Atlantic Cod
Cod is a predatory fish and mainly lives in deep water. However, it is more widely distributed when feeding or spawning. Young Cod (up to two years) feed mainly on zooplankton; older Cod eat fish and benthic organisms. Capelin, a small forage fish, is their favourite food.
The North East Arctic has the largest Cod stocks in
the world. In fact, excellent fisheries management
and favourable environmental conditions mean that
the spawning stock biomass has been at its highest
levels in 2011. They exceed even the peaks recorded
in the 1940s and 50s.
Stocks are also found around Iceland, the Faroe Islands, in the Baltic, the North Sea, the Irish Sea
and in the areas around the Georges Bank and Newfoundland. In addition, there are local fjord
and coastal stocks along the coasts of Norway,
South Greenland and Canada.
The total catch of Atlantic Cod in 2011 is expected to be 1,040,000 tonnes. Of this, 703,000 tonnes is North East Arctic Cod, caught in the Barents Sea.
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 | Column 4 | Column 5 | Column 6 | Column 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 523,000 | 1991 | 319,000 | 1995 | 740,000 | 1999 | 485,000 | 2003 | 552,000 | 2007 | 487,000 | 2011 | 703,000* |
| 1988 | 435,000 | 1992 | 513,000 | 1996 | 732,000 | 2000 | 415,000 | 2004 | 606,000 | 2008 | 464,000 | 2012 | | 751,000** |
| 1989 | 332,000 | 1993 | 582,000 | 1997 | 762,000 | 2001 | 426,000 | 2005 | 641,000 | 2009 | 523,000 | |
| 1990 | 212,000 | 1994 | 771,000 | 1998 | 593,000 | 2002 | 535,000 | 2006 | 538,000 | 2010 | 610,000 |
* TAC
* * TAC
Source: ICES Advice 2011
Our Cod is harvested in the north-east Atlantic
Ocean, off the coasts of Norway and Russia. Most
of the north-east Arctic Cod stock is found in the
Barents Sea on the warm side of the Polar Front.
In warm years the Cod distribution extends further
to the north and east. In 2007, Cod was found as
far north as 81˚ (north of Spitsbergen) and 56˚E
(the southern tip of Novaya Zemlya).
Vesteralen and Lofoten are the main spawning
areas for north-east Arctic Cod. The eggs are
spawned pelagically (near the surface) in
February-April. Eggs and larvae are carried with
the current into the Barents Sea where the 0-year group fish settles to the bottom in late autumn.
Cod starts spawning at the age of 5-6 years and
grows faster when the capelin stock is strong.
Cod has long been a firm favourite in Spain, Portugal, the UK, USA, France and Germany, and these remain the biggest markets.
It is also extremely versatile: it can be baked, fried, poached, steamed, grilled, microwaved and of course deep-fried. Popular Cod dishes include Bacalao (salted fish) in Southern Europe, while in the UK and the USA the time-honoured Cod and Chips is part of mainstream culture.
in Oliver Twist, but the brainwave of teaming fried
fish with chips is credited to a Mr Joseph Malin.
He opened the first fish and chip shop in London
in 1860. The rest is culinary history.
Cod also offers a number of by-products including Cod’s roe, Cod liver, Cod liver oil, cheeks, tongues
and heads.
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 | Column 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 84 kcal (354 kJ) | Non saturated fatty acids | 1.1g |
| Fat | 1.2g | Protein | 18g |
| Saturated fa | 0.1g | Sodium | 49mg |