Pacific cod

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Pacific cod
Gadus macrocephalus.png

Pacific cod ( Gadus macrocephalus )

Systematics
Acanthomorphata
Paracanthopterygii
Order : Cod-like (Gadiformes)
Family : Cod (Gadidae)
Genre : Gadus
Type : Pacific cod
Scientific name
Gadus macrocephalus
Tilesius , 1810

The Pacific cod ( Gadus macrocephalus ) is a member of the cod family . It lives in near-surface waters of the northwestern Pacific , mainly in the area of ​​the continental shelf and the continental slopes at a sea depth of up to 900 meters. The species is intensively fished commercially because it is a sought-after food fish.

description

The animals have three separate dorsal fins and a barb on the lower jaw. The individuals reach body lengths of about one meter with a weight of 15 kilograms and form large swarms. Visually, the species is similar to the cod ( Gadus morhua ) from the Atlantic. The inhabited ground-level biotopes lie around the northern Pacific, from the Yellow Sea to the Bering Strait , along the Aleutian Islands and south to Los Angeles .

Molecular genetic studies from 1999 allow the strong assumption that Gadus macrocephalus is identical to the species Gadus ogac from Greenland-Arctic waters, the latter epithet would then be a more recent synonym for G. macrocephalus . With a possible arrival of this knowledge in the canon of taxonomy, the geographical range of the species would be considerably expanded. Despite this research, Gadus ogac is still listed as a valid species in the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS).

fishing

Catches of Pacific cod reported to the FAO worldwide from 1950 to 2010

Catches of Pacific cod landed in the northwestern Pacific by American fishermen grew from less than 1,000 tonnes in 1979 to nearly 91,000 tonnes in 1984 and peaked at 430,196 tonnes in 1995. Today there are strict quotas based on different fishing methods (such as Bottom trawls and fishing or longlines) are counted differently.

Management and preservation of art

The population of the Salish Sea is monitored by the National Marine Fisheries Service due to concerns about possible hazards (it is a so-called species of concern ), but the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) does not provide enough information for a protection classification US Endangered Species Act .

Image gallery

  • Pacific cod larva
  • Young of the species
  • Fishing success - a fully grown cod on the boat

supporting documents

  1. ↑ a b FAO Fisheries & Aquaculture - Species Fact Sheets Gadus macrocephalus (Tilesius, 1810) ( English ) Retrieved January 24, 2016.
  2. ↑ SM Carr, DS Kivlichan, P. Pepin, DC Crutcher: Molecular systematics of gadid fishes: Implications for the biogeographic origins of Pacific species . In: Canadian Journal of Zoology . 77, 1999, pp. 19-26. doi : 10.1139 / z98-194 .
  3. ^ Gadus ogac in the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS). Retrieved January 25, 2016.
  4. ↑ Species of Concern from NOAA

Web links

Commons : Gadus macrocephalus  - collection of images, videos and audio files