Gadus macrocephalus, Pacific cod : fisheries, gamefish

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Gadus macrocephalus Tilesius, 1810

Pacific cod
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Native range | All suitable habitat | Point map | Year 2050
This map was computer-generated and has not yet been reviewed.
Gadus macrocephalus   AquaMaps   Data sources: GBIF OBIS
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Image of Gadus macrocephalus (Pacific cod)
Gadus macrocephalus
Picture by Orlov, A.

Common names from other countries

Morue du Pacifique, Morue ogac, Bacalao del Pacífico, ... more

Classification / Names Nombres comunes | Sinónimos | Catalog of Fishes(Género, Especie) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

> Gadiformes (Cods) > Gadidae (Cods and haddocks)
Etymology: Gadus: Latin, gadus = a fish, cod? (Ref. 45335); macrocephalus: macrocephalus meaning large head (Ref. 6885).

Environment: milieu / climate zone / rango de profundidad / distribution range Ecología

marino; salobre demersal; oceanodromo (Ref. 51243); rango de profundidad 10 - 1280 m (Ref. 50550), usually 100 - 400 m (Ref. 54440). Boreal; 6°C - 9°C (Ref. 11800); 63°N - 31°N, 119°E - 119°W (Ref. 54440)

Distribución Países | Áreas FAO | Ecosistemas | Ocurrencias, apariciones | Mapa de puntos | Introducciones | Faunafri

Arctic: Chukchi and Beaufort Seas eastward across Arctic Canada to western Greenland; south in the Atlantic Ocean to Gulf of St. Lawrence. Pacific Ocean: eastern Pacific to southern California at Santa Monica, and in the western Pacific to the Yellow Sea.

Length at first maturity / Tamaño / Peso / Age

Madurez: Lm 66.6, range 23 - 85 cm
Max length : 119 cm TL macho / no sexado; (Ref. 40637); peso máximo publicado: 22.7 kg (Ref. 27436); edad máxima reportada: 25 años (Ref. 55701)

Short description Claves de identificación | Morfología | Morfometría

Espinas dorsales (total) : 0; Radios blandos dorsales (total) : 37 - 57; Espinas anales: 0; Radios blandos anales: 31 - 42; Vértebra: 49 - 55. Distinguished by the presence of 3 dorsal and 2 anal fins, a long chin barbel (about 3/4 as long as the eye diameter in young, longer than eye diameter in adults), and a space between the second and third dorsal fins that is shorter than the eye diameter (Ref. 27547). Lateral line with a prominent arch under the 1st and 2nd dorsal fins, is straight toward the tail, ending under the 3rd dorsal (Ref. 27547). Brown or gray dorsally, becoming paler ventrally; dark spots or vermiculating patterns on the sides (Ref.1371). Yellow color phases are known (Ref. 27547). Fins dusky; dorsal, anal and caudal fins with white edges that are wider on anal and caudal than on dorsal (Ref. 27547).
Body shape (shape guide): fusiform / normal; Cross section: oval.

Biología     Glosario (por ej. epibenthic)

Found mainly along the continental shelf and upper slopes (Ref. 1371). Form schools (Ref. 9988). They appear to be indiscriminate predators upon dominant food organisms present (Ref. 1371). Young probably feed on copepods and similar organisms (Ref. 27547). Adults feed on fishes, octopi, and large benthic and benthopelagic crustaceans (Ref. 1371); also worms. Parasites of the species include sealworm (Phocanema decipiens) in flesh, copepod (Lernaeocera branchialis) on gills and cestode (Pyramicocephalus phocarum) in the intestine (Ref. 5951). Marketed fresh and frozen for human consumption (Ref. 2850), and also dried or salted and smoked (Ref. 9988). Eaten steamed, fried, broiled, boiled, micro-waved and baked (Ref. 9988). Used in Chinese medicine (Ref. 12166). Minimum depth from Ref. 054440.

Life cycle and mating behavior Madurez | Reproducción | Puesta | Huevos | Fecundidad | Larva

From late summer to mid-winter, fish move into the deeper water (100 to 250 m) of spawning areas; move inshore to depths of 30 to 60 m after spawning (Ref. 27547). Spawning occurs once a year (Ref. 120291).

Main reference Upload your references | Referencias | Coordinador | Colaboradores

Cohen, D.M., T. Inada, T. Iwamoto and N. Scialabba, 1990. FAO species catalogue. Vol. 10. Gadiform fishes of the world (Order Gadiformes). An annotated and illustrated catalogue of cods, hakes, grenadiers and other gadiform fishes known to date. FAO Fish. Synop. 125(10). Rome: FAO. 442 p. (Ref. 1371)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-1)

Not Evaluated 

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Harmless





Human uses

Pesquerías: muy comercial; pesca deportiva: si
FAO - pesquerías: landings, species profile; Publication: search | FishSource | Sea Around Us

Más información

Ecología Trófica
Food items (preys)
Composición de la dieta
consumo de alimento
Food rations
Despredadores
Ecología
Ecología
Home ranges
Population dynamics
Coeficiente del crecimiento para
Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
Length-frequencies
Mass conversion
Reclutamiento
Abundancia
Life cycle
Reproducción
Madurez
Maturity/Gills rel.
Fecundidad
Puesta
Spawning aggregations
Huevos
Egg development
Larva
Dinámica larvaria
Distribución
Países
Áreas FAO
Ecosistemas
Ocurrencias, apariciones
Introducciones
BRUVS - Videos
Anatomy
Superficie branquial
Brain
Otolith
Physiology
Body composition
Nutrients
Consumo del oxígeno
Tipo de natación
Velocidad de natación
Visual pigments
Fish sound
Diseases & Parasites
Toxicity (LC50s)
Genética
Genome
Genética
Heterozygosity
heritabilidad
Human related
Aquaculture systems
Perfiles de acuicultura
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Taxonomy
Nombres comunes
Sinónimos
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Referencias

Herramientas

E-book | Guía de campo | Claves de identificación | Asistente para frecuencias de tallas | Herramienta de ciclo de vida | Mapa de puntos | Catch-MSY |

Special reports

Check for Aquarium maintenance | Check for Species Fact Sheets | Check for Aquaculture Fact Sheets

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Summary page | Datos específicos | Nombres comunes | Photos

Fuentes de Internet

AFORO (otoliths) | Aquatic Commons | BHL | Cloffa | Websites from users | Check FishWatcher | CISTI | Catalog of Fishes: Género, Especie | DiscoverLife | ECOTOX | FAO - pesquerías: landings, species profile; Publication: search | Faunafri | Fishipedia | Fishtrace | GloBI | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | IGFA World Record | OceanAdapt | OneZoom | Open Tree of Life | Otolith Atlas of Taiwan Fishes | PubMed | Reef Life Survey | RFE Identification | Socotra Atlas | TreeBase | Árbol de la vida | Wikipedia: Go, búsqueda | World Records Freshwater Fishing | Zoobank | Expediente Zoológico

Estimates based on models

Preferred temperature (Referencia 123201): 0.5 - 6.4, mean 2.9 °C (based on 495 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Referencia 82804):  PD50 = 0.5625   [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00724 (0.00626 - 0.00838), b=3.10 (3.06 - 3.14), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this species (Ref. 93245).
Nivel trófico (Referencia 69278):  4.2   ±0.1 se; based on diet studies.
Resiliencia (Referencia 120179):  Bajo, población duplicada en un tiempo mínimo de 4.5-14 años (Musick et al. 2000 (Ref. 36717); tmax=25; tm=3-8; K=0.11-0.27; Fec >1million).
Prior r = 0.35, 95% CL = 0.23 - 0.53, Based on 13 full stock assessments.
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153):  Moderate to high vulnerability (50 of 100). 🛈
Climate Vulnerability (Ref. 125649):  Moderate to high vulnerability (45 of 100). 🛈
Price category (Ref. 80766):   Low.
Nutrients (Ref. 124155):  Calcium = 13.9 [9.0, 26.2] mg/100g; Iron = 0.194 [0.130, 0.305] mg/100g; Protein = 17.6 [16.1, 19.0] %; Omega3 = 0.377 [0.161, 0.932] g/100g; Selenium = 14.1 [4.9, 39.4] μg/100g; VitaminA = 4.51 [0.66, 26.54] μg/100g; Zinc = 0.353 [0.271, 0.433] mg/100g (wet weight); based on nutrient studies.