The Lowly Cod: A History
of Codfish in Northern New England
By Mark Wiley
Cod. Not the most attractive word
in the English language, and
certainly not the most attractive
fish in the sea. Yet had cod never
inhabited the Gulf of Maine,
our history might have been
very different.
Cod first attracted the Europeans to our shores, and some say the fish
provided the motivation and resources to develop such a forbidding land.
A recent book about the fish, Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the
World, by Mark Kurlansky, provides New Englanders with a perspective of
-- and respect for -- cod many may have lacked.
Unfortunately, the depletion of cod stocks in the Gulf of Maine and
elsewhere has all but removed cod from our dinner tables and our culture.
Learning about cod isn’t just learning about fish.
Cod was Like Oil Today
Cod, like oil today, was once a natural resource of significant political
importance over which wars were fought. In fact, the cod was held in such
high esteem by the founding fathers of Massachusetts that a model still
hangs in the statehouse.
What made cod so valuable was that after it’s properly salted, the flesh has
a long-lasting and good-tasting source of protein. In an era before
refrigeration, this made cod an extremely valuable commodity and for
decades, cod from the Gulf of Maine was considered the finest in the world.
The cod is a type of ground fish, a fish that lives and eats near the bottom of
the ocean and is easily caught by nets called otter trawls dragged along the
sea floor. Cod can reach five to six feet in length and weigh over 200
pounds, though most cod caught now are significantly smaller. They eat
just about anything they can fit in their mouths.
The shallow, productive banks of the Gulf of Maine were a prime place to
thrive – and to get caught. Historically, cod populations were remarkably
large and healthy due in part to the huge abundance of eggs females can
produce and to the ideal habitat provided by the Gulf.
Cod Population Decreasing
So why did the cod population plummet? Ecologists blame a phenomenon
known as the “tragedy of the commons.” Like the town common once used
for grazing, cod was a valuable resource freely available to all and like that
land in the center of town, it inevitably became over-exploited. To save the
resource, restrictions are now in place on cod fishing, and New England is
still reeling from the resulting economic and cultural impacts of those
regulations.
Research, however, is now underway at the University of New Hampshire
and other marine laboratories to rescue New England’s favorite fish.
Biologists and engineers are testing open-ocean aquaculture facilities to
grow cod for market, while others are looking at new ways to catch ground
fish that would significantly reduce the accidental catch of juveniles and
non-target species that occurs with current techniques. It appears that help
and hope are on the way for cod and other fish of the Gulf of Maine. With
luck, perhaps, restored cod populations will give the lowly cod the respect
it deserves.
About the author:
Mark Wiley is an Extension Specialist at the Marine Science Education UNH
Cooperative Extension.
of Codfish in Northern New England
By Mark Wiley
Cod. Not the most attractive word
in the English language, and
certainly not the most attractive
fish in the sea. Yet had cod never
inhabited the Gulf of Maine,
our history might have been
very different.
Cod first attracted the Europeans to our shores, and some say the fish
provided the motivation and resources to develop such a forbidding land.
A recent book about the fish, Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the
World, by Mark Kurlansky, provides New Englanders with a perspective of
-- and respect for -- cod many may have lacked.
Unfortunately, the depletion of cod stocks in the Gulf of Maine and
elsewhere has all but removed cod from our dinner tables and our culture.
Learning about cod isn’t just learning about fish.
Cod was Like Oil Today
Cod, like oil today, was once a natural resource of significant political
importance over which wars were fought. In fact, the cod was held in such
high esteem by the founding fathers of Massachusetts that a model still
hangs in the statehouse.
What made cod so valuable was that after it’s properly salted, the flesh has
a long-lasting and good-tasting source of protein. In an era before
refrigeration, this made cod an extremely valuable commodity and for
decades, cod from the Gulf of Maine was considered the finest in the world.
The cod is a type of ground fish, a fish that lives and eats near the bottom of
the ocean and is easily caught by nets called otter trawls dragged along the
sea floor. Cod can reach five to six feet in length and weigh over 200
pounds, though most cod caught now are significantly smaller. They eat
just about anything they can fit in their mouths.
The shallow, productive banks of the Gulf of Maine were a prime place to
thrive – and to get caught. Historically, cod populations were remarkably
large and healthy due in part to the huge abundance of eggs females can
produce and to the ideal habitat provided by the Gulf.
Cod Population Decreasing
So why did the cod population plummet? Ecologists blame a phenomenon
known as the “tragedy of the commons.” Like the town common once used
for grazing, cod was a valuable resource freely available to all and like that
land in the center of town, it inevitably became over-exploited. To save the
resource, restrictions are now in place on cod fishing, and New England is
still reeling from the resulting economic and cultural impacts of those
regulations.
Research, however, is now underway at the University of New Hampshire
and other marine laboratories to rescue New England’s favorite fish.
Biologists and engineers are testing open-ocean aquaculture facilities to
grow cod for market, while others are looking at new ways to catch ground
fish that would significantly reduce the accidental catch of juveniles and
non-target species that occurs with current techniques. It appears that help
and hope are on the way for cod and other fish of the Gulf of Maine. With
luck, perhaps, restored cod populations will give the lowly cod the respect
it deserves.
About the author:
Mark Wiley is an Extension Specialist at the Marine Science Education UNH
Cooperative Extension.
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