---
title: "What the sources say about the Atlantic Cod | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "38 claims from the Atlantic Cod profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
image: "https://animaltracks.wiki/images/animals/atlantic-cod-1.webp"
canonical: "https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/atlantic-cod/sources/"
---

# What the sources say about the Atlantic Cod (*Gadus morhua*)

> 38 claims from the Atlantic Cod profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [Atlantic Cod](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/atlantic-cod/)

## Sobel (1996). Gadus morhua. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 1996: e.T8784A12931575.

https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.1996.rlts.t8784a12931575.en

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Vulnerable | Vulnerable (VU) (note: stats.conservationStatus. Assessed 1996 (Red List category read through GBIF's copy, taxon 8784, checked by the verifier)) |

## Star et al. (2011). The genome sequence of Atlantic cod reveals a unique immune system. Nature.

https://doi.org/10.1038/nature10342

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| A big bottom predator that lost an immune pathway jawed vertebrates normally keep. | Atlantic cod has lost the genes for MHC II, CD4 and invariant chain (Ii) that are essential for the function of this pathway (note: tagline; 'big' rests on the 200 cm max length claim below) |
| Has lost the genes for MHC II, a standard part of the jawed-vertebrate immune system, but carries a highly expanded set of MHC I genes | The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) II is a conserved feature of the adaptive immune system of jawed vertebrates, but we show that Atlantic cod has lost the genes for MHC II (note: stats.superpower) |
| a highly expanded number of MHC I genes | We find a highly expanded number of MHC I genes |
| an unusual mix of Toll-like receptor families | a unique composition of its Toll-like receptor (TLR) families |
| In 2011, researchers sequenced the cod's genome | Here we present the genome sequence of Atlantic cod (note: year from the reference (Nature 2011)) |
| The genes for MHC II, CD4 and invariant chain were simply missing. | Atlantic cod has lost the genes for MHC II, CD4 and invariant chain (Ii) that are essential for the function of this pathway |
| that pathway is a standard feature across jawed vertebrates | The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) II is a conserved feature of the adaptive immune system of jawed vertebrates |
| yet in natural conditions it is not especially prone to disease | Nevertheless, Atlantic cod is not exceptionally susceptible to disease under natural conditions. |
| signs that the cod evolved compensating mechanisms in both adaptive and innate immunity | This indicates how the Atlantic cod immune system has evolved compensatory mechanisms in both adaptive and innate immunity |
| Yes. Its genome has lost MHC II, a conserved part of adaptive immunity in jawed vertebrates, along with CD4 and invariant chain, which that pathway needs. The authors still found it not exceptionally prone to disease in natural conditions. | Nevertheless, Atlantic cod is not exceptionally susceptible to disease under natural conditions. (note: FAQ 3; MHC II conserved quote above) |
| The cod has no genes for MHC II, CD4 or invariant chain | Atlantic cod has lost the genes for MHC II, CD4 and invariant chain (Ii) (note: blockquote) |

## Olsen et al. (2004). Maturation trends indicative of rapid evolution preceded the collapse of northern cod. Nature.

https://doi.org/10.1038/nature02430

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Off southern Labrador and eastern Newfoundland, the populations known as northern cod crashed in the late 1980s and early 1990s, one of the worst collapses fisheries have seen. | Northern cod, comprising populations of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) off southern Labrador and eastern Newfoundland, supported major fisheries for hundreds of years. But in the late 1980s and early 1990s, northern cod underwent one of the worst collapses in the history of fisheries. |
| Canada closed directed fishing for northern cod in July 1992, and in 2004 the authors reported the populations still historically low after a decade-long offshore moratorium. | The Canadian government closed the directed fishing for northern cod in July 1992, but even after a decade-long offshore moratorium, population sizes remain historically low. (note: dated 2004) |
| Up to the moratorium, the fish had been maturing at earlier ages and smaller sizes, a shift the authors suggest is fisheries-induced evolution. | up until the moratorium, the life history of northern cod continually shifted towards maturation at earlier ages and smaller sizes. Because confounding effects of mortality changes and growth-mediated phenotypic plasticity are accounted for in our analyses, this finding strongly suggests fisheries-induced evolution of maturation patterns |

## Gadus morhua, Atlantic cod. FishBase.

https://www.fishbase.de/summary/Gadus-morhua.html

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| big | Max length : 200 cm TL male/unsexed (note: tagline) |
| Cold North Atlantic and Arctic seas, from Greenland and Iceland to the Bay of Biscay and, on the American side, south to Cape Hatteras | North Atlantic and Arctic: Ungava Bay, Canada south to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. East and west coast of Greenland; around Iceland; from Barents Sea including the region around Bear Island along the European coast to Bay of Biscay, and Kara Sea. (note: stats.habitat) |
| Invertebrates and fish, including young cod | Omnivorous; feed at dawn or dusk on invertebrates and fish, including young cod. (note: stats.diet) |
| a maximum length of 200 cm, a common length of 100 cm and a maximum published weight of 96 kg | Max length : 200 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 1371 ); common length : 100.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 1371 ); max. published weight: 96.0 kg (note: size and weight) |
| The oldest cod on its record was 25 years old. | max. reported age: 25 years (note: lifespan) |
| The longest on record reached 200 cm and the heaviest published weight is 96 kg, but 100 cm is a more common length. | Max length : 200 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 1371 ); common length : 100.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 1371 ); max. published weight: 96.0 kg (note: FAQ 1) |
| The oldest age reported for the species is 25 years. | max. reported age: 25 years (note: FAQ 2) |
| from Ungava Bay in Canada south to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, around Greenland and Iceland, and across to the Barents Sea and the Bay of Biscay | North Atlantic and Arctic: Ungava Bay, Canada south to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. East and west coast of Greenland; around Iceland; from Barents Sea including the region around Bear Island along the European coast to Bay of Biscay, and Kara Sea. |
| found from the shoreline to 600 m, usually at 150 to 200 m, in water from 0 to 15 degrees C | depth range 0 - 600 m (Ref. 1371 ), usually 150 - 200 m (Ref. 54441 ). Temperate; 0°C - 15°C |
| Young cod prefer shallow water with seagrass, gravel or boulders to shelter in. | Juveniles prefer shallow (less than 10-30 m depth) sublittoral waters with complex habitats, such as seagrass beds, areas with gravel, rocks, or boulder, which provide protection from predators |
| Adults are usually found in deeper, colder water. | Adults are usually found in deeper, colder waters. |
| By day they school about 30 to 80 m above the bottom, then spread out at night to feed | During the day, form schools and swim about 30-80 m above the bottom, dispersing at night to feed |
| feed on invertebrates and fish, including young cod | Omnivorous; feed at dawn or dusk on invertebrates and fish, including young cod. |
| Cod mostly stay within the area of their own stock, and trips over 200 km are rare. | Migrate between spawning, feeding and overwintering areas, mostly within the boundaries of the respective stocks. Migrations >200 km are rare occurrences |
| Cod spawn in winter and early spring. | Spawning occurs in winter and beginning of spring |
| 2.5 million eggs for a 5 kg female and a record of 9 million for a 34 kg female | Fecundity ranges from 2.5 million eggs in a 5 kg female to a record of 9 million eggs in a 34 kg female. |
| The IUCN Red List rates the species Vulnerable, in an assessment made in 1996, which FishBase still lists as the Red List status. | Vulnerable (VU) (A1bd); Date assessed: 01 August 1996 |
| a single whisker, called a barbel | a conspicuous barbel on the lower jaw |
| Millions of eggs, then a crash | Fecundity ranges from 2.5 million eggs in a 5 kg female to a record of 9 million eggs in a 34 kg female. (note: heading) |

## Atlantic Cod. NOAA Fisheries.

https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/atlantic-cod

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| bottom predator | They are top predators in the bottom ocean community, feeding on a variety of invertebrates and fish. (note: tagline) |
| The cod is a thick, heavy fish with a big head, a blunt nose and a single whisker, called a barbel, hanging from its chin like a catfish's. | Atlantic cod are heavy-bodied with a large head, blunt snout, and a distinct barbel (a whisker-like organ, like on a catfish) under the lower jaw. |
| Colour runs from yellowish-green to red and olive, and an individual can change colour readily. | Their coloring varies, ranging from light yellowish-green to red and olive, usually with darker speckles on the head, fins, tail, and body. |
| an individual can change colour readily | Individuals can change color readily. |