Trosc
Cod
Copyright The Irish Marine Institute
Copyright The Irish Marine Institute
Have you ever seen cod up close? They have small, smooth scales that are grey-brown in colour, and whitish coloured bellies. If you look very closely, you can see a small whisker on their chins. This is called a babel.
Cod are commonly found on the River Shannon
Ballinasloe marina on the River Shannon.
Cod are commonly found on the River Shannon
Cod are commonly found on the River Shannon
Ballinasloe marina on the River Shannon.
Cod are known as 'batch-spawners'. Can you guess what this means?
It means that the females do not release all of their eggs at the same time. Usually, they will release fifteen to twenty batches of eggs every sixty to seventy-five hours.
Could you guess how many eggs are in a single batch? Up to several hundred thousand!
The eggs are very tiny. About thirty-five days after birth they will undergo metamorphosis, or a change in life cycle, and then these small creatures will be recognisable as fish.
Cod are very popular in Ireland but the stocks of cod are decreasing. This could be due in part to climate change, but we must also be careful not to overfish for cod.
Did you know that, if undisturbed, cod can live for up to thirty years?
Cod are very popular in Ireland but the stocks of cod are decreasing. This could be due in part to climate change, but we must also be careful not to overfish for cod.
Did you know that, if undisturbed, cod can live for up to thirty years?