Cod (Atlantic)

About the Cod (Atlantic)

The fish that built the modern world - cod fishing drove European exploration of North America. The Vikings dried cod to sustain their voyages. The Newfoundland cod fishery collapsed in 1992, putting 40,000 people out of work. Despite a moratorium, the population has not recovered 30 years later. They can live 20+ years. Females produce 5-9 million eggs per spawning. George Bank cod were once so abundant you could walk across their backs. They migrate thousands of kilometers. Their liver oil was a vital source of vitamin D. They are a symbol of both abundance and collapse.