Atlantic Cod
Atlantic Cod (Gadus morhua) is a saltwater species. The first thing to check: three separate dorsal fins and two anal fins — the gadoid signature. The look-alike to rule out is Haddock: haddock have a black lateral line and a dark thumbprint blotch above the pectoral fin; a cod's lateral line is pale.
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| Scientific name | Gadus morhua |
|---|---|
| Also called | cod, codfish, scrod |
| Water | Saltwater |
| Group | Cod |
| Temperature | A genuinely cold-water fish, feeding between about 34 and 50 °F. |
How to identify an Atlantic Cod
- Three separate dorsal fins and two anal fins — the gadoid signature.
- A single prominent barbel hanging from the chin.
- A pale, cream-coloured lateral line that arches noticeably upward over the pectoral fin.
If you would rather not work through a key on a wet deck, photograph the fish and let the app name it — you get the common and the scientific name back, and the record is filed before you release.
Fish it is mistaken for
| Species | How to tell them apart |
|---|---|
| Haddock | Haddock have a black lateral line and a dark thumbprint blotch above the pectoral fin; a cod's lateral line is pale. |
| Pollock | Pollock have a projecting lower jaw, a tiny barbel or none at all, and a dark, nearly straight lateral line. |
Side-by-side comparisons
Read the full entry for Haddock and Pollock.
Where it lives
The North Atlantic, from the Gulf of Maine to Georges Bank and north. Holds over rocks, wrecks, gravel and broken bottom, moving deeper as inshore water warms.
Temperature
A genuinely cold-water fish, feeding between about 34 and 50 °F.
The conditions that matter
Cod fishing is depth-and-drift fishing: the fish sit hard on structure and the practical problem is holding a bait in the strike zone as the boat moves. Tide and wind together decide whether a piece is fishable at all, and water temperature governs how shallow the fish will come through the season.
Global Fishing League records 18 weather and water readings against every catch automatically — tide stage, barometric pressure, water temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll, swell, current, moon phase and more, taken at your GPS position at the moment you log the fish. Over a season that turns a hunch about atlantic cod into a pattern you can read.
See every reading recorded with a catch, or the guides to what each reading means.
Size limits, bag limits and seasons
Size limits, bag limits, slot limits and seasons are set by your state wildlife agency — and for many offshore and migratory species by federal regulators — and on many waters they differ from the statewide rule. They also change between seasons. Check the current regulations for the exact water you are fishing before you keep a fish — we do not republish limits here, because a number that is a season out of date is worse than no number.
What the app does do is make your side of it accurate: every catch carries a length measured from the photograph, a GPS position and a timestamp, exportable if you ever need to show your work for a tournament or a record claim. It is also what a Global Fishing League entry is built from — a record that verifies itself, without publishing where you caught the fish.