(Gadus morhua)
Atlantic cod is one of the world's most important commercial fishes and the most numerous and recognised of fishes in Canada. They are bottom dwellers but can be found anywhere from surface to 500 metres and from inshore to the edge of the continental shelf. Their average living temperature ranges from -0.5 to 10 degree celsius, depending on time of year and location. This type of cod is varible in colour but usually has brownish or reddish spots and a white belly and lateral line.In Newfoundland, the export value of cod was about $335,000 in 1999. For hundreds of years fisherman from different parts of the world have been fishing for cod in Newfoudland waters (for example, the Portuguese, the French, and the Spanish since 1500).
There is much research being done of the Atlantic cod including frequency of interbreeding between neighbouring stocks and genetic studies. Atlantic cod have recently been put on the species at risk list in Canada. It was listed as vulnerable. Public awareness about the plight of the cod fish is essential for its recovery.
For more information on cod research, visit the Ocean Science Center
Aquanet
www.stemnet.nf.ca/cod/tagging.htm