🌊 Saltwater

Atlantic Cod

Gadus morhua

The Atlantic cod shaped human civilization — it fueled the exploration of North America, built empires, and fed millions. For 500 years, the Grand Banks off Newfoundland were considered inexhaustible. Then, in 1992, the Grand Banks cod stock collapsed, wiping out an entire industry and culture overnight. Today, the cod's story is one of the most important cautionary tales in marine conservation.

📏
Typical Size
24–48 inches (60–122 cm) typical
⚖️
Weight
5–25 lbs (2.3–11.3 kg) typical; record 211 lbs (96 kg)
⏳
Lifespan
25+ years
💧
Water Type
Saltwater

🗺️ Habitat

Cold waters of the North Atlantic, from Greenland to Cape Hatteras in the west, and from Iceland to the Bay of Biscay in the east. Demersal (bottom-dwelling) to 600 feet deep.

🔍 How to Identify Atlantic Cod

  • 1Distinctive barbel (chin whisker) below the lower jaw
  • 2Three dorsal fins and two anal fins
  • 3Lateral line curves upward near the head
  • 4Color varies from grey-green to reddish-brown, with spots on back and sides
  • 5Square or slightly rounded tail (not forked)

🍽️ Diet

Herring, capelin, sand lance, squid, shrimp, crab, and other bottom invertebrates

💡 Fun Facts About Atlantic Cod

  • ★A single large female cod can produce up to 9 million eggs per spawn
  • ★Cod were so important in early New England that a carved wooden cod hangs in the Massachusetts State House
  • ★The word "codpiece" in medieval clothing is derived from the importance of cod to the diet
  • ★Atlantic cod can detect low-frequency sounds over miles using their swim bladder
  • ★The collapse of the Grand Banks cod fishery in 1992 left 40,000 people unemployed in Newfoundland

🛡️ Conservation Status

Vulnerable — many populations severely depleted; Gulf of Maine cod critically endangered

🔗 Related Species

Pacific Halibut

Identify Atlantic Cod Instantly with AI

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Learn more:

How to Identify Fish: A Beginner's GuideMost Common Freshwater Fish in North America← Back to All Fish Species