The New International Encyclopædia/Cod

COD (origin obscure; possibly from cod, shell, husk, or from Flem. kodde, club, from the rounded shape of the fish). A fish (Gadus callarias) of the family Gadidæ, which almost rivals the herring in its importance to mankind. The body is elongate, slightly compressed, and tapers toward the tail, so that with the rather large head it appears heavy anteriorly. The body is covered with small scales. There are three dorsal and two anal fins. From the end of the lower jaw hangs a well-developed barbel. The general color varies greatly, being greenish, brownish, or even yellowish and reddish. The back and sides have numerous round, reddish-brown spots. The fins are dark. It will attain a weight of four to five pounds in about three years, and may ultimately reach a weight of 150 to 200 pounds, but the usual weight of large specimens is from 15 to 30 pounds.

The home of this fish is in the shallower parts of northern seas. “The southern limit of the species,” on the American side of the Atlantic, according to Goode, “may safely be considered to be Cape Hatteras, in latitude 35° 10′. Along the coast of the Middle States, New England, and British North America, and upon all the offshore banks of this region, cod are usually found in great abundance during part of the year at least. . . . and it is more than probable that they occur in the waters of the Arctic Sea to the north of the American continent.” It no doubt extends around the northern shore of the continent to Bering's Strait, and thence into the North Pacific, for the cod of the coastal waters and shallows off Alaska, Siberia, and thence down to Vancouver Island and Japan are the same in appearance and habits, and probably specifically identical. On the European side of the Atlantic it frequents the Scandinavian and Spitzbergen coasts, the North Sea, and the waters about Great Britain and Iceland. Its favorite haunts are the ocean banks, down to about 120 fathoms, but it frequently approaches close to the coast, enters bays, and ascends the estuaries of large rivers. It is a powerful swimmer, predatory, having strong teeth upon the vomer, and one of the most voracious denizens of the sea. It eats anything and everything it can, capturing other fishes, squids, etc., in large numbers, and devouring great quantities of deep-sea clams, which it swallows whole. The stomachs of cods have supplied to conchologists great numbers of rare shells, and before the days of deep dredging many conchological specimens were obtainable only in this way.

These fish are very prolific, 9,000,000 eggs having been taken from a single female weighing 75 pounds. The spawning season lasts from October to April, but the eggs of any given female do not all ripen at once. “Impelled by the spawning instinct, the cods seek the shoal waters of the coast or banks in shoals consisting of both sexes.” Here the eggs are extruded, float to the surface, and toss about until they hatch, and the fry escape to become the prey of innumerable foes. It appears, however, that many (some say most) cod void their eggs in deep water, whence they rise and drift toward the shore. The destruction of eggs and young through various agencies must be very large; since, in spite of the enormous numbers produced, comparatively few reach maturity, so that the number of cod is limited, and liable to be materially reduced by persistent fishing. This diminution began to be felt, in fact, long ago, the cod almost disappearing from easily accessible inshore resorts, so that the fishermen have been obliged to go to the more distant oceanic banks. To compensate for this loss, the species has long been extensively propagated, both in Europe and America, more than 100,000,000 fry having been hatched and planted during the year 1897 alone by the United States Fish Commission. For the methods and results of these efforts, see Fish-Culture; for the methods, extent, and value of the products of cod-fishing, see Fisheries; and for portraits of important species, see Plate of Codfish and Allies. Several other species, important as food, belong to this family, such as tomcod, haddock, ling, etc., which are elsewhere described. The ‘codfish’ of the San Francisco markets, however, is an entirely different fish, a chirid (Ophiodon elongatus), for which see Cultus-Cod.

For the most complete history of the cod family, consult G. Brown Goode, in Fisheries and Fishery Industries of the United States, Tenth Census (Washington, 1884), in which other books are mentioned. See Cod-Liver Oil.

CODFISH AND ALLIES

1. CODFISH (Gadus callarias).	5. HADDOCK (Melanogrammus æglefinus).
2. A PELAGIC GADOID (Cœlorhynchus carminatus).	6. ALASKAN POLLOCK (Theregra chalcogramma).
3. TOMCOD (Microgadus tomcod).	7. A MACRURID (Hymenocephalus cavernosus).
4. POLLOCK (Pollachius virens).	8. SILVER HAKE (Merluccius productus).