About Cods and Hakes
Demersal marine fishes of northern seas, foundational to temperate fisheries.
Gadiformes include cods, haddock, hakes, pollocks, and grenadiers (families Gadidae, Merlucciidae, Macrouridae), mostly of temperate and Arctic marine waters.
Morphology. Generally elongate, soft-rayed fishes with a barbel on the chin, three dorsal fins and two anal fins in typical cods, and a small spineless pelvic fin beneath the throat. They lack fin spines.
Habitat & distribution. Demersal (bottom-associated) on continental shelves of the North Atlantic and North Pacific, plus deep-sea grenadiers worldwide.
Human significance. Atlantic cod, Pacific cod, haddock, and hake have historically been among the most important food fishes of the Northern Hemisphere, shaping entire fisheries economies.
