Cod family fish: types and description, appearance, habitat

Almost all representatives of the cod-like genus, with the exception of burbot, prefer to live in salt water. Moreover, reservoirs should be located closer to the northern hemisphere, since their element is cold water.

The cod family includes about 100 species of various fish, and almost all of them are inhabitants of salty sea water, and only one burbot inhabits freshwater rivers and other reservoirs. The most common of them are: haddock, navaga, blue whiting, cod, hake and many others. What are the differences between the cod family and other representatives of the seas and oceans and will be discussed in this article.

Description of the cod family

Appearance

The cod family has a number of distinctive external features. For example, representatives of this family have several dorsal fins, as well as the presence of one or two anal fins. Their tail fin is considered the most developed.

As a rule, the caudal fin may be integral with the dorsal and anal fins or may be separated from them. Interestingly, all of them have fins that do not have sharp, prickly rays. Fish of this family have enlarged gill openings, as well as the presence of a mustache in the region of the lower jaw. The body of the fish is covered with small scales, which are easy to clean. In general, codfish prefer to move in small flocks, with the exception of burbot, a freshwater representative of this family.

dimensions

Of the 100 species, absolutely diverse representatives can be distinguished, differing in completely different sizes. Species that feed on plankton are much smaller than those that feed on larger living organisms. The smallest of them is the deep-sea gadikul, which can reach no more than 15 cm in length. The largest representatives include predators such as ling and Atlantic cod, which can reach up to 1,8 meters in length.

Habitat

Representatives of this family are found in almost all waters of the northern hemisphere of the earth, and only 5 species inhabit the seas of the southern hemisphere. All of them should be attributed to marine life living in salt water, and only burbot prefers the fresh waters of the north of Europe, Asia and America.

The highest abundance of cod is observed in the eastern parts of the Atlantic, including the Norwegian and Barents Seas. The Baltic Sea is exclusively inhabited by cod. Cod representatives can also be found in the Black and Mediterranean Seas.

It is unlikely that representatives of this family will be found in the equatorial zone, but off the coast of South America, South Africa and New Zealand there are as many as three species of this family.

What do codfish eat

Some species of fish prefer plant foods, while others exclusively animal, because they are predators. Some of them, such as blue whiting, arctic cod, polar cod, eat zooplankton.

Pollock and cod feed on fairly large living organisms. In these fish, the fat that they store in the process of feeding accumulates in the liver, which is their significant difference from other fish species that do not belong to this family.

Spawning

Each species of fish belonging to this family is different in that it has its own reproduction characteristics. Most of them spawn in sea water, although some of them that live in the northern latitudes choose desalinated areas of water bodies for spawning. Not at all most of them enter the rivers to lay their eggs.

Representatives of this family begin to lay eggs only after 3 years of life, and some of them even later – after 8-10 years of life. They lay eggs for several years in a row, laying several million eggs at the same time, although there are also such as navaga, which lays only a few thousand eggs.

Almost the majority of representatives of this family love cold water and lay their eggs at a temperature of about 0 degrees and mainly in winter or at the end of winter.

After the appearance of fry, some of them remain in place, and some are carried away by the current, therefore, from the first days of their life, fry of these fish begin to spread throughout the waters of the seas and oceans. Interestingly, haddock fry use jellyfish to hide from their natural enemies. Throughout their lives, representatives of this family carry out long migrations. This is due to some natural factors, such as sea and ocean currents, fluctuations in water temperature, including the availability of forage.

Commercial fishing

Due to the fact that most representatives of cod are characterized by unsurpassed nutritional qualities, their catch is carried out on a huge industrial scale. Every year, about 10 million tons of cod fish species are caught, and most of them are caught in the Atlantic Ocean. As a rule, the following types of cod make up the bulk:

• Atlantic cod.
• Pacific pollock.
• Haddock.
• Sayda.

Almost all of them lead a benthic lifestyle, so they are caught using deep-sea trawls. The meat of these fish is a popular product due to its nutritional value. Especially valuable is their liver, which contains a huge amount of useful substances.

Types of codfish with photos and descriptions

As mentioned above, cod have up to a hundred species of different fish. Among them are the most famous and most valuable, which will be discussed below.

Gadikul

This small fish is also called the “big-eyed cod”. Cod lives at depths from 200 meters to almost a kilometer. It is easy to distinguish it from other types of fish by its rather large eyes, which actually occupy a third of the head. During its life, the fish is able to grow up to a maximum of 15 centimeters, and mostly there are specimens 9-12 centimeters long. There is a gadikul in the Mediterranean, as well as in the waters of Northern Norway. Sometimes found in the oceans at very great depths. There are two types of this amazing fish:

• North.
• South.

They differ from each other, although only slightly. Basically, they have a different number of fin rays and vertebrae, which is associated with their habitat.

Merlang

This representative of the cod family is found in the waters of the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, as well as off the coast of Europe. This fish can be found in the Black Sea, off the coast of Crimea, where it is brought by the current after intense storms. Able to grow up to 50 centimeters in length. The whiting diet consists of small crustaceans and small fish. Whiting itself replenishes the diet of larger predators, such as dolphins or katrans. Commercial production of this fish is carried out exclusively in northern waters.

Merlang does not like great depths. After two years of life, whiting can already lay eggs. At the same time, caviar is laid at depths of no more than 1 meter, at a water temperature of at least 5 degrees.

Alaska Pollock

Almost everyone knows this fish, since it can be found on almost all counters of fish stores. Pollock lives, mainly in the North Pacific Ocean, because it prefers to live in cold water with a temperature of 2 to 9 degrees.

This fish almost always stays in the water column, at depths of half a kilometer or more, and only at the time of spawning moves closer to the coast, to smaller areas.

Pollock begins to spawn after 3 or 4 years of life. The spawning period, depending on habitat conditions, can begin in winter and last until summer. Pollock can grow up to 0,5 meters in length, and sometimes more.

Pollock is one of the most numerous representatives of this family, which are found within the Pacific cold waters. This fish is caught on an industrial scale in huge volumes, therefore it ranks first in terms of the number of fish caught today. Nutritious and healthy as the meat of this fish, and its liver.

Molva

Prefers to lead a benthic lifestyle. Exceptionally predatory fish that hunts at a depth of 500 meters. This predator is able to grow up to 2 meters in length, although there are mostly individuals up to 1 meter long.

They can lay eggs only at 8-10 years of their life. Her diet consists of small fish and other living organisms.

Navaga Far Eastern

This fish is of serious commercial interest. Lives in the waters of the North Pacific Ocean, as well as the Chukchi, Okhotsk and Japan Seas.

Far Eastern saffron cod can grow up to 35 centimeters in length, although there are also larger specimens, up to 50 cm in length, but very rarely. This fish prefers to stay in the coastal zone, leaving it only to find food for itself.

At 2 or 3 years of age, it can spawn. Navaga spawns only in winter, at the lowest temperatures.

Navaga populations are quite voluminous, so it is caught in large batches. It is mined 10 times more than White Sea saffron cod.

Navaga northern

The main habitats of this fish are:

• White Sea.
• Pechora Sea.
• Kara Sea.

It also prefers to be in the coastal zone, and for the period of spawning it can go to rivers. Despite this, the very process of spawning is carried out only in salt water, in winter, at depths of about 10 meters. The female spawns eggs, which firmly stick to the bottom of the bottom, after which they develop here for 4 months.

It reaches a length of about 35 centimeters, although there are representatives that are up to 45 centimeters in length. The diet of northern saffron cod consists of fairly small crustaceans, worms and small fish.

It is caught on a commercial scale in the autumn-winter period, since its meat has an unsurpassed taste.

Burbot

This is the only representative of the cod family, which is found in fresh water. Like most codfish, burbot prefers cool water, so it is most often found in the rivers and lakes of America, Asia and Europe.

The most numerous population of burbot is considered to be in the Siberian rivers, where it is caught both on an industrial scale and by amateur fishermen. Burbot spawns exclusively in winter, when the reservoir is covered with ice. In summer, it prefers to hide in stones, burrows or snags. With the onset of autumn, he begins an active lifestyle. Burbot is a nocturnal fish that does not tolerate sunlight. According to many anglers, at night it can be lured by the light coming from the fire.

Burbot grows in length up to 0.6 meters, with a weight of up to 1,5 kg. Despite this, there are specimens up to 1,2 meters in length and weighing up to 20 kilograms. The diet of burbot consists of larvae, crustaceans and small fish.

Haddock

Haddock occurs in the northern part of the Atlantic and mainly in the coastal waters of Europe and America. Prefers to lead a benthic lifestyle. The body is characterized as laterally compressed. The body color is silvery, with a black lateral line and a black spot located above the pectoral fin. The average length of the fish is in the range of 50-70 cm, although there are individuals longer than 1 meter. Haddock feeds on mollusks, worms, crustaceans, and also eats herring caviar.

At the 3rd or 5th year of life, the females are already ready to spawn. Fishing for haddock is quite well developed and in terms of the mass of fish caught it occupies a solid third place after pollock and cod. It is caught mainly in the North and Barents Seas. Catch volumes are estimated at about a million tons per year.

blue whiting

It can grow up to 35 cm in length, although sometimes individuals up to 50 cm long come across. This fish grows too slowly.

It is found mainly in the northeast Atlantic, being at depths from 30 to 800 meters. The diet consists of fish fry, plankton and small crustaceans.

It is also caught commercially and is also sold in many retail outlets.

Blue whiting

This representative of the cod family is somewhat larger than the northern blue whiting. It can weigh up to 1 kg, growing up to 0,5 meters in length. Closer to the southern hemisphere, it prefers to be closer to the surface of the water, but the farther from these places it is, the deeper it is found, at depths of up to half a kilometer.

It is mined on an industrial scale, making mainly canned food from it, although many housewives boil, bake and fry it.

It can also be easily bought at a fish store.

Saida

Leads a flock of life, being either in the water column or closer to the bottom. It grows in length up to 70 cm, although there are individuals up to 1 meter long, and sometimes more. It lives mainly in the northern waters of the Atlantic. It migrates across the Atlantic over considerable distances: with the advent of spring, it heads north, and with the advent of autumn, it returns again to the warmer waters of the Atlantic Ocean.

Saithe is also caught in large volumes. Quite tasty canned food is obtained from it, called “sea salmon”. This is due to the fact that saithe meat and salmon meat are characterized by a similar taste, but saithe meat is much cheaper.

Atlantic cod

This type of fish is already listed in the international Red Book and the Red Book of Russia. Atlantic cod grows up to 1,8 meters in length, although the average size is in the range of 40-70 centimeters. Atlantic cod feeds on various crustaceans, mollusks, including fish.

Cod females begin to lay eggs at the age of 8-10 years, weighing 3-4 kilograms. She lives in the Atlantic Ocean. It is highly valued for its nutritious and healthy meat, including liver, which is rich in healthy fats. Cod makes delicious canned food. Many are familiar with such a delicacy as cod liver, which is used to make delicious sandwiches and other cold snacks.

In 1992, the Canadian government imposed a ban on fishing for Atlantic cod, as its numbers have declined sharply, which threatens the complete disappearance of this type of fish.

Pacific fever

This representative of the cod family differs from the Atlantic cod in a larger head and smaller body dimensions. It can reach a length of 1,2 meters, although there are mainly individuals measuring 50-80 cm.

This type of cod lives in the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, the Bering Sea and the Sea of ​​Japan. It does not carry out long migrations, adhering to the waters of these seas and the coastline.

Starts spawning in the 5th year of life. The total life expectancy is about 10-12 years. Each female is capable of laying several million eggs. Feeds on invertebrates and fish. It is also caught in large quantities. Its meat is delicious in any form: it is salted, smoked, fried, boiled, baked and made into delicious preserves.

Useful properties of cod

The meat of these species is considered dietary, since the fat content in it reaches only 4 percent. In this regard, cod dishes have an excellent taste and are quite healthy for humans.

The presence of vitamins

The following vitamins were found in the meat of these fish species:

• A,
• D,
• FROM,
• E,
• TO,
• RR,
• group B

Presence of trace elements

The meat of these fish contains useful minerals, such as:

• Potassium.
• Phosphorus.
• Calcium.
• Magnesium.
• Fluorine.
• Sodium.
• Manganese.
• Copper.
• Iron.
• Iodine.
• Molybdenum, etc.

When choosing one or another method of cooking fish, you should always remember that the task is to preserve the maximum of useful substances, without losing taste. This is possible only if the fish is consumed raw, boiled or baked. Naturally, the maximum of useful substances is preserved if it is consumed raw. To do this, it is simply salted or cooked in a marinade. To cook properly, it is better to use ready-made recipes, of which there are a sufficient number. And yet it is better to resort to heat treatment. If you cook fish in the oven, you can get a very tasty and healthy dish. In extreme cases, it can be fried and served with a side dish and vegetables, although this will not be so useful, and it can be hard on the stomach.

Representatives of cod are considered the most numerous species of fish that inhabit the waters of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. Due to the fact that the meat of these fish is not only tasty, but also healthy, they are caught at a huge rate, which is reflected in the figures associated with millions of tons annually. If this continues, then our children may not see most seafood on their tables.

No less valuable is the liver of these fish, since many useful substances accumulate in it. Since the meat is not fatty, it can be consumed by almost all categories of people, and especially those who managed to gain excess weight. Only personal intolerance to seafood can become a real obstacle to eating cod fish species.