Codfish

Codfish

masc. n.

Lat. bacallareu

Fish from the Gadidae family.

Cod is a voracious fish that lives in the Arctic seas and can measure up to two metres long.

It is caught in summer from May onwards, mostly between Iceland and Newfoundland.

It is eaten fresh and salted; in the latter form it is a very popular and highly nutritious food.

Cod is included in the Gadidae family:

Gadus morhua

Gadus macrocephalus

They have ten families and over two hundred species. Almost all live in cold, salty waters in the northern hemisphere. It is thought that codfish reached the shape and physical characteristics it has today about 120 million years ago.

Juveniles are found near the coast, between 10 and 30 metres deep. Adults prefer deeper and colder waters, between 100 and 200 metres.

During the day, they swim in schools to better protect themselves from predators.

The Codfish is a voracious predator and feeds, when young, on zooplankton and small larvae, bivalves and crustaceans. As an adult, it prefers hake, monkfish or even younger codfish.

Ílhavo Maritime Museum – Online Directory