MASTERS OF THE WATER-BONY FISHES 



293 



Fig.. 172. Cod. 



three dorsals and two anals. There is a tendency for these fishes to keep to 

 moderately deep water. 



cod: Gadus callarias 



Weight: Commonly to 25 pounds. Rarely from 60 to 70 pounds. Known to 

 reach 200 pounds. 



Distrihution: Greenland to Cape Hatteras. Very abundant from Newfound- 

 land to Cape Cod the year round. Goes offshore in warm months to the south 

 of its range. 



Identification: Three dorsal fins and two anal fins, all spineless. The lateral 

 line is paler than the rest of the brownish body. (Small cods are reddish and are 

 called "rock cod.") The tail fin is squared off. 



Habits: This exceedingly voracious fish travels in huge roving schools and 

 feeds on small fishes and invertebrates, mostly over rocky or sandy bottoms. Cods 

 come inshore in shallow water but also range in waters as deep as 1,500 feet. 

 This fish is immensely prolific. A large female of 70 pounds has been estimated 

 to produce about 9 million eggs, only about one seventieth of which ever 

 reach the hatching stage, so harsh are the environmental forces of destruction of 

 pelagic eggs. Spawning is probably indiscriminate, since no breeding pairs are 

 formed. The school itself forms the breeding unit. Cods occasionally get land- 

 locked in fresh water, where they become extremely large-headed and canni- 

 balistic. 



Similar Species: The Alaska cod, Gadus macrocephaliis, ranges from the Bering 

 Sea to Oregon and is very similar to the Atlantic species. 



The pollack (Boston blackfish), Pollachins virens, ranges south to Long Island 

 and reaches 3V2 feet and 35 pounds, but it averages only 4 to 5 pounds. It feeds 

 closer to the surface than most members of the family. It is most easily recog- 

 nized by its lustrous greenish-brown color, white lateral line, and forked tail fin. 



The haddock, Melanogravimiis aeglifinuSy has a black lateral line and a dark 

 spot behind the pectoral fin. It ranges south to New Jersev and to Cape Hatteras 

 in deep water and averages 3 to 4 pounds, reaching 25 pounds rarely. Finnan 

 haddie is made from haddock. 



The tomcod, Microgadus tomcod, is a dwarf species reaching only 15 inches 

 in length. It ranges south to Virginia and may be recognized by the rounded 

 tail fin and comparatively long ventrals, the first ray of which is extended like 

 a filament. It is a shore fish, especially in early winter when it spawns, some- 

 times ascending rivers for this purpose. 



