Cod: Atlantic

Scrod, Whitefish

N/A

Atlantic cod is a deep-water fish, living at depths of more than 1,300 feet on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. Cod is one of several “groundfish” species, referring to the fact that they live on the seafloor.

For centuries, north Atlantic cod was one of the world’s largest and most reliable fisheries. However, overfishing threatens to bring this to an end. Despite strict management in the U.S. and Canada in recent years, cod remains overfished, with some populations so depleted that they’re listed as endangered or threatened. While cod populations in Iceland and the Northeast Arctic are in better condition, overfishing still occurs in these regions.

Fishermen often catch cod with bottom trawl gear, which involves dragging large nets across the seafloor. Trawling damages marine habitats and produces unwanted bycatch. A portion of the Icelandic and Northeast Arctic fisheries don’t use habitat-damaging trawling gear.

Atlantic Cod has a high intrinsic rate of increase, a moderate age at sexual maturity, a moderate growth coefficient, and is moderately long-lived. The formation of spawning aggregations and population variability in response to environmental conditions increases it’s vulnerability to fishing pressure. Based on the depletion of the Northwest Atlantic cod stock, changes in life history characteristics may be an indication of the present severely declining population, and caution is warranted in the Northeast Atlantic. However, based on a high intrinsic rate of increase, cod is considered inherently resilient to fishing pressure.

The two most commercially important stocks, the Northeast Arctic (Barents Sea) and Icelandic cod stocks, have fishing mortality rates that have been deemed too high according to ICES. Therefore, despite acceptable spawning stock biomass levels for Northeast Arctic cod and a stable but low spawning stock biomass level for Icelandic cod, both these stocks are considered a high conservation concern because of present high fishing mortality rates.

Uncertainty remains high regarding the bycatch quantity and trends in the Northeast Arctic and Icelandic cod fisheries. Absolute levels of seabird bycatch are unknown. Given the general uncertainty of bycatch in Atlantic cod fisheries, bycatch in these fisheries ranks as a “moderate” conservation concern.

Hook-and-line gear does not contact the seafloor, and thus has no detrimental habitat impacts. In addition, the removal of large predators such as cod has been shown to affect the biomass at other trophic levels, including small pelagic fishes and grey seals in the Northwest Atlantic. Overall the use of hook & line gear is a low conservation concern.

For the two largest fisheries, the Barents Sea (Northeast Arctic) and Icelandic cod fisheries, management of the cod stocks has been moderately better than management of other cod stocks. Although a dramatic long-term decline has been observed in the Icelandic cod spawning stock biomass, it has remained stable for some time and has increased slightly over the past several years. Management of Northeast Arctic and Icelandic cod therefore ranks as moderately effective.

What kind of cod is this?

Where was it caught?

How was it caught?

Atlantic Cod should be avoided unless you are certain that it has come from the Northeast Arctic or Icelandic region using hook & line, Danish seine, bottom longline, or bottom gillnet gears.

Adults and children could eat 4 or more meals per month without risking exposure

No.