Habitat: Benthopelagic Main role: Predator Trophic level: 4,4
Diet: Juvenile cod are pelagic and feed mainly on copepods. At a size of approximately 7 cm they adopt a demersal way of life with a diet that initially comprised of crustaceans. As they grow, bigger fish become increasingly important as prey.
Threats: Highly commercial and vulnerable (IUCN red list). Cod is a highly fished top predator, which has seen several stock collapses in the 1990s around the world due to overfishing. In the North Sea cod stocks seem to be slowly recovering. Cod are also very sensitive to fluctuations in temperature.
Cod is a month-by-month, computer generated data layer following calculations made by the ecosystem simulation (EwE).
Different pressures generate by human activities (noise, bottom disturbance, surface disturbance, artificial substrate) have different, complex effects on marine species in terms of movement, survival and procreation.
Cod are caught by all fishing fleets, but mostly by bottom trawl.
In the North Sea, several species of cod can be found. The most common and important cod species in the North Sea is the Atlantic Cod (Gadus morhua). This cod species is the most studied and commercially significant cod species in the North Sea, and it plays a crucial role in the region's fisheries.
The layer is made
Not applicable. This layer is not available in the MSP Challenge Adriatic Sea Edition.
Cod can be found in the Adriatic Sea. However, it is important to note that this region is on the southern edge of their natural range. The cod is not as abundant in the Adriatic Sea as they are in their primal habitat in colder northern waters (WoRMS Editorial Board, 2023).
World Register of Marine Species. Available from https://www.marinespecies.org at VLIZ. Accessed 2023-10-02.
Not applicable. This layer is not available in the MSP Challenge Eastern Mediterranean Sea Edition.
Cod is not typically found in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. Cod is a cold-water species that is more commonly found in more northern waters, where the water temperature is cooler (WoRMS Editorial Board, 2023).
Co-funded by the European Union.