I hope all of you brought your fishing gear for today’s Wild Fact, since we are heading to the ocean in search for some Atlantic Cod.  At one time, along the east coast of Canada, you wouldn’t have needed any fishing gear since the Cod was so plentiful that you would have been able to walk across them.  Unfortunately, as a result of over-fishing, this is no longer the case, I do believe the Lobster populations are doing much better since the decline of the Codfish. So grab your fishing rod and perhaps your favourite motion sickness pill and lets head out to the ocean to learn about an interesting and economically important fish species.

So why is Atlantic Cod important to the economy?  Well, they have a nice, mild taste with a very low fat content and their livers are used to make Cod Liver Oil (clever name), which is an important vitamin supplement.  Not sure if you have ever tasted Cod before?  If you have ever bought fish and chips in the United Kingdom then I am willing to bet that you have sampled the wonderful taste of the Atlantic Cod.  Now do you see why these fish are economically important? 

Have you ever wondered what the Atlantic Cod looks like before they are battered and placed next to some potatoes?  What do you mean, you haven’t given it much thought until now? Am I the only one that thinks of these things?  Anyway, the Atlantic Cod will actually change colours depending which depth they are hanging around at and will typically be a grey-green colour or a lovely reddish-brown colour.  It reminds me of those Hypercolor T-shirts from the 90’s that changed with the temperature.  The Atlantic Cod isn’t generally the largest fish in the sea as they typically weigh between 5-12 kg (11-26 lbs), however, some specimens have been known to get up to 100 kg (220 lbs).  Talk about being an overachiever!

Atlantic Cod Fast Fact – Every now and again, a Cod would be found that had a deformed head, which looked very much like the crown of a king.  Naturally, these fish became known as King Cod and at one point in time, Norwegians believed they could use them to predict the weather.  Yep, they would hang the head on a piece of string and the nose would point in a different direction depending on the impending weather.  I highly doubt this will replace the standard barometer but it is a neat trick, nonetheless.

I hope you enjoyed fishing for Atlantic Cod Facts.  It is time to head back to shore so we can learn about tomorrow’s animal fact.  See you tomorrow.