Atlantic cod

The Atlantic cod is a large, gentle fish that swims in the cold waters of the North Atlantic Ocean. You can find it near the coasts of North America and Greenland, and all the way across to Iceland, the North Sea, and the chilly Arctic. Cod like to live down near the seabed as well as out in the open water, sometimes gathering together in big groups.

Cod are strong and can live a long time — up to about 25 years. Most grow to around one to one and a half metres, which is longer than many bicycles, and the very biggest cod ever caught were longer than a grown-up is tall. That makes the Atlantic cod one of the larger fish swimming in the northern seas.

If you look closely at a cod’s chin, you will spot a little whisker called a barbel. The cod uses this special whisker to taste and feel for food hidden on the ocean floor. It is a bit like having an extra finger for finding a snack in the dark, muddy water below.

Cod are carnivores, which means they eat other animals. They hunt smaller fish like herring and capelin, and they also snap up squid, crabs, and shrimp. Baby cod start by eating tiny creatures, and as they grow bigger and stronger they begin to chase larger fish.

For a long time people caught so many cod that their numbers dropped a great deal, and today they are listed as vulnerable. Rules that limit fishing are now helping cod have a chance to recover in their cold Atlantic home. With careful looking-after, these big, whiskered fish can keep swimming the northern seas for many years to come.