Date Published:
March 2005

L’Encyclopédie de l’histoire du Québec / The Quebec History Encyclopedia

Codfish

[This article was written in 1948. For the full citation, see the end of the document.]

Codfish, a valuable food fish of the north Atlantic and north Pacific oceans. The codfish of European waters is identical with that found off the Atlantic coast of North America (Gadus morrhua). The Pacific codfish has usually been regarded as distinct from the Atlantic species, but the two are so similar that they are now often regarded as the same species. The Grand banks, off Newfoundland, are the centre of abundance of the cod in American Atlantic waters, although considerable numbers are taken off the coasts of the Maritime provinces and the northern states. The Pacific codfish is particularly abundaât about the Aleutian islands and in the Okhotsk sea, but occurs in British Columbia waters and southward. It is also found about Japan.

The cod ranks next to salmon (including several species) in point of value among the commercial fishes of Canada, in normal times the annual production reaching a value of $5,000,000. It is sold dried, smoked, frozen, and fresh. An oil valuable for its vitamin content is made from the liver. Many kinds of fish not even distantly related to the true codfish are called cod.

Source : W. Stewart WALLACE, ed., The Encyclopedia of Canada, Vol. II, Toronto, University Associates of Canada, 1948, 411p., pp. 96-97.