Cod are found on both sides on both sides of the Atlantic and are most plentiful around Norway, Iceland, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, and on Georges Bank off Cape Cod. In the Western Atlantic, they range from Greenland to North Carolina. Molluscs (clams, oysters, scallops, etc) are said to make up an important part of the diet of the cod, but cod also eat small fish.
By far the largest quantities of cod are caught with otter trawls in waters ranging from 300 to 1500 ft in depth. Small quantities of this species are caught with long lines, hand lines, or grill nets. When caught with otter trawls, the fish are gutted and washed on the deck of the boat. During summer months, the gills must be removed, but the head is left intact. The fish are stored in boxes or pens, in either case layered with ice.
At the processing plant, the fish are washed and filleted, skinless. The fillets are then candled (observed over a bright light) to locate and removed parasites. Fillets to be sold as fresh precooled, placed in metal tins of 10, 20, or 30 Ib, and the tins are refrigerated (mechanically or in ice) until they reached their destination. Some fillets are precooled, packed in small trays. Overwrapped with the transparent plastic, and shipped to their destination in insulated containers.
The Cod
