Cod Cod Scientific name: Gadus morhua Also know as: Codling, (technically correct name is Atlantic Cod) Size: Over 6ft and 200lb+. UK shore caught typically 2-10lb UK minimum size: 14ins/35cm (by regional differences apply) UK shore caught record: 44lb 8oz IUCN Status: VU (Vulnerable) Distribution: Commonly found throughout the British Isles. Cod are semi-migrational, with some moving to colder Scandinavian waters in the summer, while other (usually smaller) specimens stay around the UK all year round. Their range extends throughout much of Europe and they are also found in American and Canadian waters. Feeds on: Cod have an insatiable appetite and will feed on anything they can find. Worms, prawns, shellfish, crabs, lobsters, octopus and any other form of marine life will all be devoured. Cod will also actively hunt other smaller fish. Description: Upper jaw protrudes with prominent barbule on chin. Head is large and can make up a quarter of overall length, mouth also large. White underbelly with lateral line that curves upwards and three dorsal fins. Colour is usually greenish/grey/tan speckled flanks and back. However, cod which have lived their whole life in weedy areas will have taken on a different colour and can be brownish, or even red. [adsense_id=”5″] Cod are found all around the UK, although being a cold-water species they are much more common around the UK in autumn and winter, although some remain around the UK all year, especially the smaller specimens. Like many species cod form into large, loose shoals when small but become solitary once they reach larger sizes. It is thought that once cod reach around 50lb they move away from shallow inshore waters and live in the open sea, feeding exclusively by hunting other fish. There is much confusion over the terms cod and codling. Although things vary from place to place a cod is generally classed as being 6lb or over, while a specimen smaller than this is a codling. Cod found around the UK are actually a specific species called Atlantic cod (Gadus Morhua), even if they are found in the North Sea, English Channel or any other ocean or sea. This is because there are two other species of cod Pacific cod (Gadus Macrocephalus) and Greenland cod (Gadus Ogac) both of these species are smaller than the Atlantic cod and are not found in British waters. There are also other species from different countries which are sometimes referred to as cod such as blue cod in New Zealand and Murray cod and sleepy cod from Australia. However, it is only cod in the Gadus genus which are true cod, and many of the foreign species have had cod added to their name to make them more commercially appealing. It is a mistake to think that red cod which are sometimes caught by UK anglers are a different species – they are simply cod which have lived their whole lives in heavy weed and kelp, and have therefore taken on a different colour to adapt to these surroundings. Distribution Distribution of the Atlantic cod. Cod are found throughout Europe, although as explained below they do migrate within European waters. Being a colder water species cod are more common around northern European waters of the UK, Scandinavia and Nordic regions, and are mostly absent from the warmer waters of the Mediterranean. The range of Atlantic cod extends across the Atlantic to Greenland and they are also common in North American waters with Canadian and American waters also holding significant numbers of cod. Diet Cod will eat almost anything they come across. Cod scour the seabed and will eat almost anything they come across. Cod will eat almost anything. They will scour the seabed scooping up anything vaguely edible into their mouth. Prawns, shellfish, crabs, squid, octopus, starfiish, small lobsters, marine worms and dead fish will all be eaten. However, cod are not just predators and will also actively hunt smaller fish such as with sandeels, pout, dab and even other small codling all being taken. Sometimes when big cod are gutted on charter boats beer cans and other rubbish that has been thrown into the sea is found in their stomachs, showing what indiscriminate eaters cod are. In 2014 a cod was caught in Norwegian waters with a very strange item in its stomach, showing the extent to which cod will consume pretty much anything which they come across. Migration Cod are a semi-migratory species, meaning that some (but not all cod) make an annual migration away from UK waters. Generally cod are found in their highest numbers around the United Kingdom in the colder months as they arrive in the autumn and stay until early spring. As the seas around the UK begin to warm up the vast majority of larger mature cod will begin to make the migration to the colder Scandinavian and Nordic waters. In many parts of Britain there is a ‘spring run’ of cod as they feed even more voraciously than usual before making their journey northwards. However, smaller immature cod (and a number larger specimens) will stay in British waters all year round, especially offshore where boat anglers can often catch larger cod throughout the summer. Once cod have migrated to colder waters they will spawn there, and then return to Britain once the seas around the UK begin to cool as winter approaches. [adsense_id=”2″] Maximum Size of Cod The Maximum size which cod can grow to is a matter of much debate. Many people with no interest in fish or fishing – who are used to only seeing plate-size fillets of cod covered in batter – assume that cod only grow to a few pounds. They do, of course grow to sizes much bigger than this. The British record for shore caught cod has stood since 1966 with a 44lb 8oz specimen caught by Mr. B. Jones from the Tom’s Point mark in Barry, Glamorgan, Wales, while the boat record belongs to Mr. N. Cook who caught a 58lb 6oz cod when fishing out of Whitby in 1992. The all time world-wide record for a rod-and-line caught cod was 98lb 12oz. This fish was caught by Alphonse Bielevich fishing out of New Hampshire, USA in 1969. However, this record was broken in 2013 when German angler Michael Eisele caught a 103lb cod when fishing in Norwegian waters (read a news story with pictures of the fish here). However, there is evidence that cod have been caught in commercial trawlers nets which were much bigger than 100lbs. Oceana (the world’s biggest not-for-profit ocean conservation group) states that cod can reach an absolute maximum size of 200lbs. However, due to the intensive commercial pressure that this species is under it is very rare for a specimen to reach this weight. Today a cod of 30-40lbs can be considered a large fish, while a shore caught cod approaching 10lb can be considered a very good catch. Cod: Britain’s Most Commercially Valuable Fish Retro commercial fishing for cod An undated photo (though to be from around 1927) showing a plentiful catch of cod and halibut. Today stocks of both of these species are showing the signs of decades of overfishing. Cod have been commercial important for many centuries with evidence existing that the Vikings used to catch and salt cod as far back as the year 800AD. Today cod remain a fish of massive commercial importance, being the most popular food fish in much of Europe and North America. Cod is usually described as having a mild, sweet taste, and the flesh once cooked is white and delicate in texture. Cod can be baked, fried, poached or stewed and is consumed the world over. The classic British dish of fish and chips is most often made with cod, while Jamaica’s national dish of ackee and saltfish is commonly made with cod. The famous Scandinavian dish lutefisk uses cod which has been soaked in water for up to ten days prior to cooking. Global Catches of Atlantic Cod in tons 1950-2010 There has been intense debate about the sustainability of existing cod stocks, and there is no doubt that the numbers of cod left in the sea are reduced from what they were just a generation ago. The IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) class cod as Vulnerable due to the intensive commercial pressure on this species. Britain and Iceland came close to war three times between the 1950s and 1970s due to conflict over cod fishing grounds, while the collapse of the once abundant cod fishery of Canada’s Grand Banks off the coast of Newfoundland led to mass unemployment and economic turmoil. In 2012 British newspapers reported that there was only one hundred cod left in the North Sea! Thankfully, this story turned out to be nonsense. There is some good news for cod stocks, the impending ban (or at least massive reduction) in discards will help cod numbers, and fishing agreements made at EU meetings at the end of 2012 were hailed as a positive step to stop the overfishing of cod in European waters. Techniques and Methods to Catch Cod Cod Fishing Cod are a highly sought after by anglers from both shore and boat. Cod can be found across every different type of seabed, meaning they can be caught from almost every different venue in the UK. Cod can be caught on sandy and shingle beaches, mixed and broken ground, and the roughest and rockiest of marks. However, chances of locating feeding fish will be increased if a food-holding feature is located, such as a gully in a sandy beach or a mussel or shellfish bed on rough ground. Cod will feed in a range of water depths, although they would never come as close to the shore as flounders meaning it is an advantage to be able to cast a decent distance when fishing for this species on a sandy beach. Codling can be taken on small hooks and most baits, and often anglers will catch small codling when targeting summer flatfish species. However, anglers specifically targeting large cod set up their gear accordingly with big hooks, big baits and strong tackle. Hooks are generally sized 3/0 – 6/0 and often presented in a pennell pattern. This size of hook can also prevent the smaller whiting from being caught, as they can become a bait robbing menace when targeting big cod. Rigs with only one snood are the best choice, and these are usually clipped down to make casting the big bait more manageable, and to add some extra distance to casts. Peeler crab are an excellent cod bait (although anglers have to use frozen as fresh peeler is unavailable in winter) with blow lugworm, black lugworm and squid and mussel baits also considered top winter cod baits. Cocktail baits are also popular when fishing for cod, and full single squid are also a favorite when trying for a large cod. The popularity of these baits mean that others are overlooked. This can be a mistake as sandeel, cuttlefish and especially mackerel fillet, and even a small mackerel head and entrails or flapper can all account for big cod over winter. Cod and the Colour White: There is (or at least was) an urban myth that cod are attracted to the colour white. Feathers to catch cod (from a boat) are usually white while The Fisherman’s Handbook from 1977 states that cod will eat white tin cans and plastic cups that have been discarded into the sea. The handbook even includes a design for a rig incorporating a white attractor spoon for cod fishing. There is little evidence to support this theory about the colour white, and it is rare to see anglers persevering with white attractor spoons when cod fishing these days.
Posted on: Thu, 20 Nov 2014 20:10:17 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015