Cod is the common name for genus In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank (a taxon) used in the classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia. The term comes from Latin genus "descent, family, type, gender", cognate with Greek: γένος – genos, "race, stock, kin" Gadus, belonging to the family What does and does not belong to each family is determined by a taxonomist. Similarly for the question if a particular family should be recognized at all. Often there is no exact agreement, with different taxonomists each taking a different position. There are no hard rules that a taxonomist needs to follow in describing or recognizing a family Gadidae Gadidae is a family of marine fish, included in the order Gadiformes. It includes the cod, haddock, whiting, and pollock, and is also used in the common name for various other fishes. Cod is a popular food Food is any substance or materials eaten or drunk to provide nutritional support for the body or for pleasure. It usually consists of plant or animal origin, that contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals, and is ingested and assimilated by an organism to produce energy, stimulate growth, and with a mild flavor, low fat content and a dense, flaky white flesh Whitefish is a fisheries term referring to several species of pelagic deep water fish with fins, particularly cod (Gadus morhua), whiting (Merluccius bilinearis), and haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus), but also hake (Urophycis), pollock (Pollachius), or others. Cod livers are processed to make cod liver oil Cod liver oil is a nutritional supplement derived from liver of cod fish. It has high levels of the omega-3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA, and very high levels of vitamin A and vitamin D. It is widely taken to ease the symptoms of arthritis and for other health benefits. It was once commonly given to children, because the high levels of vitamin D in, an important source of vitamin A Vitamin A is a vitamin that is needed by the retina of the eye in the form of a specific metabolite, the light-absorbing molecule retinal. This molecule is absolutely necessary for both scotopic and color vision. In another version the vitamin is necessary for the function of the reproductive systems of both male and female mammals. Vitamin A also, vitamin D Vitamin D is a group of fat-soluble secosteroids, the two major physiologically relevant forms of which are vitamin D2 and vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol). Vitamin D without a subscript refers to either D2 or D3 or both. Vitamin D3 is produced in the skin of vertebrates after exposure to ultraviolet B light from the sun or artificial sources, and, vitamin E Vitamin E is a generic term for tocopherols and tocotrienols. Vitamin E is a family of α-, β-, γ-, and δ- tocopherols and corresponding four tocotrienols. Vitamin E is a fat-soluble antioxidant that stops the production of reactive oxygen species formed when fat undergoes oxidation. Of these, α-tocopherol (also written as alpha-tocopherol) and omega-3 fatty acids n−3 fatty acids are a family of unsaturated fatty acids that have in common a final carbon–carbon double bond in the n−3 position; that is, the third bond from the methyl end of the fatty acid (EPA Eicosapentaenoic acid is an omega-3 fatty acid. In physiological literature, it is given the name 20:5(n-3). It also has the trivial name timnodonic acid. In chemical structure, EPA is a carboxylic acid with a 20-carbon chain and five cis double bonds; the first double bond is located at the third carbon from the omega end and DHA Docosahexaenoic acid is an omega-3 fatty acid. In chemical structure, DHA is a carboxylic acid with a 22-carbon chain and six cis double bonds; the first double bond is located at the third carbon from the omega end. Its trivial name is cervonic acid, its systematic name is all-cis-docosa-4,7,10,13,16,19-hexa-enoic acid, and its shorthand name is 2). Larger cod caught during spawning Spawning is the production or depositing of large quantities of eggs in water. The young that hatch out of these eggs are known as spawn. The process is done by aquatic animals such as amphibians and fish are sometimes called skrei. Young Atlantic cod or haddock The haddock or offshore hake is a marine fish distributed on both sides of the North Atlantic. Haddock is a popular food fish, widely fished commercially prepared in strips for cooking is called scrod.

The Atlantic cod, which can change color at certain water depths, has two distinct color phases: grey-green and reddish brown. Its average mass is 5–12 kilograms (11–26 lb), but specimens weighing up to 100 kilograms (220 lb) have been recorded. Cod feed on molluscs The Mollusca, common name molluscs or mollusks,[note 1] is a large phylum of invertebrate animals. There are around 85,000 recognized extant species of molluscs. This is the largest marine phylum, comprising about 23% of all the named marine organisms. Numerous molluscs also live in freshwater and terrestrial habitats. Molluscs are highly diverse,, crabs True crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" , or where the reduced abdomen is entirely hidden under the thorax. Other animals, such as hermit crabs, king crabs, porcelain crabs, horseshoe crabs and crab lice, are not true crabs, starfish Starfish or sea stars are echinoderms belonging to the class Asteroidea. The names "starfish" and "sea star" essentially refer to members of the Class Asteroidea. However, common usage frequently finds "starfish" and "sea star" also applied to ophiuroids which are correctly referred to as "brittle stars&, worms The term worm refers to an obsolete taxon used by Carolus Linnaeus and Jean-Baptiste Lamarck for all non-arthropod invertebrate animals, and stems from the Old Norse word for sea serpent. Currently it is used to describe many different distantly-related animals which have a long cylindrical body and no legs, squid Squid are marine cephalopods of the order Teuthida, which comprises around 300 species. Like all other cephalopods, squid have a distinct head, bilateral symmetry, a mantle, and arms. Squid, like cuttlefish, have eight arms arranged in pairs and two longer tentacles. Squid are strong swimmers and certain species can 'fly' for short distances out, and small fish. Some migrate to warm water in winter to spawn. A large female lays up to five million eggs in midocean, a very small number of which survive. Pacific or saltwater cod are also found around the coast of British Columbia, Canada and the Northwestern US coastal areas. These fish are three times the size of their eastern counterparts^{[citation needed]} and are darker in colour.

Pollock Pollock is the common name used for either of the two species of marine fish in the Pollachius genus. Both P. pollachius and P. virens are commonly referred to as pollock. Other names for P. pollachius include the Atlantic pollock, European pollock, lieu jaune, and lythe; while P. virens is sometimes known as Boston blues (distinct from bluefish),, and coalfish Pollachius virens is a species of marine fish in the Pollachius genus. Together with Pollachius pollachius it is generally referred to as Pollock. Other names include the Boston blues , coalfish (or coley) and saithe are often found on the same grounds as codfish in cool Atlantic waters. Pollock have shovel-shaped tails and pale lateral lines and grow to 1 metre (3.3 ft) and 15 kilograms (33 lb). Some grow to 2 metres (6.6 ft) in length.

Cod meat is moist and flaky when cooked and is white in color. In the United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland[note 7] is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of the island of Ireland, and many small islands. Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK with a land, Atlantic cod The Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua, is a well-known demersal food fish belonging to the family Gadidae. It is also commercially known as Cod, Codling or Haberdine is one of the most common ingredients in fish and chips Fish and chips is a popular take-away food that originated in the United Kingdom in 1858 or 1863. It consists of deep-fried fish (traditionally cod, haddock or plaice) in batter or breadcrumbs with deep-fried chipped (slab-cut) potatoes, along with haddock The haddock or offshore hake is a marine fish distributed on both sides of the North Atlantic. Haddock is a popular food fish, widely fished commercially and plaice Plaice is a common name used for a group of flatfish. There are four species in the group, the European, American, Alaskan and scale-eye plaice. It is also frequently consumed in Portugal Portugal /ˈpɔɹtʃʉɡəl/ (Portuguese: Portugal, Mirandese: Pertual), officially the Portuguese Republic (Portuguese: República Portuguesa; Mirandese: República Pertuesa), is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and and Spain Spain (pronounced /ˈspeɪn/ spayn; Spanish: España, pronounced [esˈpaɲa] ( listen)), officially the Kingdom of Spain (Spanish: Reino de España), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.[note 6] Its mainland is bordered to the south and east by the Mediterranean Sea except for.

Cod are currently at risk from overfishing in the UK, Canada and most other Atlantic countries.^[1]

Taxonomy

At various times in the past, taxonomists incorrectly included many species In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are often used, such as similarity of DNA, morphology or in Gadus. The great majority of these are now either classified in other genera, or have been recognized as simply forms of one of three species. Modern taxonomy, therefore, recognizes only three species in this genus:

• Gadus macrocephalus - Pacific cod The Pacific cod, Gadus macrocephalus, is an important commercial food species. It is also known as gray cod, gray goo, gray wolf, grayest or grayfish. It has three separate dorsal fins, and the catfish-like whiskers on its lower jaw. In appearance, it is similar to the Atlantic Cod. A bottom dweller, it is found mainly along the continental shelf
• Gadus morhua - Atlantic cod The Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua, is a well-known demersal food fish belonging to the family Gadidae. It is also commercially known as Cod, Codling or Haberdine
• Gadus ogac - Greenland cod

All these species have a profusion of common names A common name is a name in general use within a community; it is often contrasted with a scientific name. A common name is not necessarily a commonly used name, nor is it considered less correct than a scientific name (as "common" might imply), most of them including the word "cod". Many common names have been used of more than one species, in different places or at different times.

"Cod" that is not cod

Related species

Cod forms part of the common name A common name is a name in general use within a community; it is often contrasted with a scientific name. A common name is not necessarily a commonly used name, nor is it considered less correct than a scientific name (as "common" might imply) of many other fish no longer classified in the genus Gadus. Many are members of the family Gadidae Gadidae is a family of marine fish, included in the order Gadiformes. It includes the cod, haddock, whiting, and pollock; others are members of three related families within the order Gadiformes Gadiformes is an order of ray-finned fish, also called the Anacanthini, that includes the cod and its allies. Many major food fish are in this order. They are found in marine waters throughout the world, and there are also a small number of freshwater species whose names include the word "cod": the morid cods, Moridae (100 or so species); the eel cods, Muraenolepididae (4 species); and the Eucla cod, Euclichthyidae (1 species). The tadpole cod family (Ranicipitidae) has now been placed in Gadidae.

Gadiformes Gadiformes is an order of ray-finned fish, also called the Anacanthini, that includes the cod and its allies. Many major food fish are in this order. They are found in marine waters throughout the world, and there are also a small number of freshwater species include:

• Arctic cod The Arctic cod is an Arctic deepwater fish related to the true cod (genus Gadus). It is a key component of Arctic food webs and provides a primary or an important food source for many marine mammals, birds and fishes Arctogadus glacialis
• East Siberian cod The East Siberian cod, Arctogadus borisovi, also known as the toothed cod, is an Arctic fish closely related to Arctic cod and also related to true cods . It differs in appearance from the Arctic cod by having pronounced chin barbel. Their sides and back are dark olive and the belly are light grey with dark spots. They may grow up to 60cm and on Arctogadus borisovi
• Eucla cod Euclichthys polynemus
• Pelagic cod Melanonus gracilis
• Polar cod Boreogadus saida
• Poor cod The poor cod, Trisopterus minutus, is a temperate marine fish belonging to the cod family . It is red brown in color and has a pronounced chin barbel. It may grow up to a length of 40cm. It is usually found in small shoals at depths between 10 and 300 meters on muddy or sandy bottoms. Its distribution spans the eastern Atlantic; from Norwegian Trisopterus minutus
• Rock cod Lotella rhacina
• Saffron cod Eleginus gracilis
• Small-headed cod Lepidion microcephalus
• Tadpole cod Guttigadus globosus

Some fish have common names derived from "cod", such as codling, codlet Their scientific name is from Greek bregma meaning the top of the head, and keras meaning "horn"; this refers to their occipital ray or tomcod. ("Codling" is also used as a name for a young cod.)

Unrelated species

Some fish commonly known as cod are unrelated to Gadus. Part of this name confusion is market-driven. Severely shrunken Atlantic cod stocks have led to the marketing of cod replacements using names Culinary names, menu names, or kitchen names are names of foods used in the preparation or selling of food, as opposed to their names in agriculture or in scientific nomenclature. The menu name may even be different from the kitchen name. For example, from the 19th until the mid-20th century, many restaurant menus were written in French and not in of the form "x cod", according to culinary rather than phyletic similarity. The common names for the following species have become well-established; note that all inhabit the Southern Hemisphere The Southern Hemisphere is the half of a planet that is south of the equator—the word hemisphere (from the Greek word σφαιρα +ημι(half)) literally means 'half ball'. It is also that half of the celestial sphere south of the celestial equator.

Perciformes

Fish of the order The Latin suffix -formes meaning "having the form of" is used for the scientific name of orders of birds and fishes, but not for those of mammals and invertebrates Perciformes The Perciformes, also called the Percomorphi or Acanthopteri, is the largest order of vertebrates, containing about 40% of all bony fish. Perciformes means perch-like. They belong to the class of ray-finned fish and comprise over 7,000 species found in almost all aquatic environments. They are also the most variably sized order of vertebrates, that are commonly called "cod" include:

• Blue cod Blue cod, Parapercis colias, is a temperate marine fish of the family Pinguipedidae. It is also known variously as Boston blue cod, New Zealand cod, sand perch or its Māori names rawaru and pakirikiri Parapercis colias
• Eastern freshwater cod Maccullochella ikei
• Mary River cod Maccullochella peelii mariensis
• Murray cod Maccullochella peelii peelii
• Sleepy cod Oxyeleotris lineolatus
• Trout cod The trout cod, Maccullochella macquariensis, is a large and striking predatory freshwater fish of the Maccullochella genus and the Percichthyidae family which was originally found in the south-east corner of the Murray-Darling river system in Australia. It is closely related to the Murray cod Maccullochella macquariensis
• The cod icefish family, Nototheniidae, including:
  • Antarctic cod The Antarctic toothfish, of the fish family Nototheniidae, is famous for producing antifreeze glycoprotein that allows it to survive in the ice-laden waters of the Southern Ocean surrounding Antarctica. Also called the Antarctic toothfish, with a heartbeat once every six seconds, research involving Antarctic toothfish may lead to advances in Dissostichus mawsoni
  • Black cod The black cod or smallscaled cod, Notothenia microlepidota, is a marine cod icefish in the genus Notothenia with distribution ranging from southern New Zealand to sub-Antarctic seas, although they have also been fished off the Great Australian Bight, Chile, and round the Falkland Islands, on rocky reefs. Their length is between 25 and 70 cm, and Paranotothenia microlepidota
  • Maori cod Paranotothenia magellanica

Rock cod, reef cod, and coral cod

Almost all coral cod, reef cod or rock cod are also in order Perciformes The Perciformes, also called the Percomorphi or Acanthopteri, is the largest order of vertebrates, containing about 40% of all bony fish. Perciformes means perch-like. They belong to the class of ray-finned fish and comprise over 7,000 species found in almost all aquatic environments. They are also the most variably sized order of vertebrates,. Most are better known as groupers, and belong to the family Serranidae. Others belong to the Nototheniidiae. Two exceptions are the Australasian red rock cod, which belongs to a different order (see below), and the fish known simply as the rock cod and as soft cod in New Zealand, Lotella rhacina, which as noted above actually is related to the true cod (it is a morid cod).

Scorpaeniformes

From the order Scorpaeniformes:

• Ling cod Ophiodon elongatus
• Red rock cod Scorpaena papillosa

Ophidiiformes

The tadpole cod family, Ranicipitidae, and the Eucla cod family, Euclichthyidae, were formerly classified in the order Ophidiiformes, but are now grouped with the Gadiformes.

Marketed as

Some fish that do not have "cod" in their names are sometimes sold as cod. Haddock and whiting belong in the same family, the Gadidae, as cod.

• Haddock Melanogrammus aeglefinus
• Whiting Merlangius merlangus

Identification

Cod have three rounded dorsal and two anal fins. The pelvic fins are small with the first ray extended, and are set under the gill cover (i.e. the throat region), in front of the pectoral fins. The upper jaw extends over the lower jaw, which has a well developed chin barbel. The eyes are medium sized, approximately the same as the length of the chin barbel. Cod have a distinct white lateral line running from the gill slit above the pectoral fin, to the base of the caudal or tail fin. The back tends to be a greenish to sandy brown, and showing extensive mottling especially towards the lighter sides and white belly. Dark brown colouration of the back and sides is not uncommon especially for individuals who have resided in rocky inshore regions.

Breeding

Cod divide into several stocks, including the Arcto-Norwegian, North Sea, Faroe, Iceland, East Greenland, West Greenland, Newfoundland, and Labrador stocks. There seems to be little interchange between the stocks, although migrations to their individual breeding grounds may involve distances of 200 miles (320 km)or more.

Spawning occurs between January to April (March and April are the peak months), at a depth of 200 metres (660 ft) in specific spawning grounds at water temperatures of between 4 and 6 °C (39 and 43 °F). Around the UK, the major spawning grounds are in the Middle to Southern North Sea, the start of the Bristol Channel (north of Newquay), the Irish Channel (both east and west of the Isle of Man), around Stornoway, and east of Helmsdale.

Pre-spawning courtship involves fin displays, and male grunting^{[citation needed]}, which leads to pairing. The male inverts himself beneath the female, and the pair swim in circles while spawning. The eggs are planktonic and hatch between 8 to 23 days with larva reaching 4 millimetres (0.16 in) in length. This planktonic phase lasts some ten weeks, enabling the young cod to increase its body weight by 40-fold, and growing to about 2 centimetres (0.79 in). The young cod then move to the seabed and change their diet to small benthic crustaceans, such as isopods and small crabs. They increase in size to 8 centimetres (3.1 in)in the first six months, 14–18 centimetres (5.5–7.1 in) by the end of their first year, and to 25–35 centimetres (9.8–14 in) by the end of the second. Growth tends to be less at higher latitudes. Cod reach maturity at about 50 centimetres (20 in) at about 3 to 4 years of age.

Biome

Cod occupy varied habitat, favouring rough ground, especially inshore. Demersal in depths of between 20–200 feet (6.1–61 m),80 metres (260 ft) on average, although not uncommon to depths of 600 metres (2,000 ft). Off the Norwegian and New England coasts and on the Grand Banks of Newfoundland, cod congregate at certain seasons in water of 30–70 metres (98–230 ft) depth. Cod are gregarious and form schools, although shoaling tends to be a feature of the spawning season.

Predation

Adult cod are active hunters, feeding on sand eels, whiting, haddock, small cod, squid, crabs, lobsters, mussels, worms, mackerel, and molluscs. Young cod avoid larger prey.

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