Facts about the Haddock fish
- The haddosck is an important food fish that belongs to the same family as the cod.
- The chief American haddock fishing grounds are in the Atlantic Ocean between Cape Halteras and the Strait of Belle Isle.
- The chief European fisheries lie in the waters from Iceland to France.
- Haddock thrive in the greatest numbers in the North Sea and around the British Isles. In summer, they also thrive along the seacoast of Massachusetts.
- The haddock differs from the cod in several ways. It has a conspicuous black line from head to tail. It has a smaller mouth than the cod, and a longer first fin on the back. A haddock is also smaller, and weighs from 3 to 17 pounds.
- Haddock swim in large groups, or schools.
- They feed on the bottom of the sea, while cod take bait set somewhat above the ocean floor. Salted menhaden and stale clams make the best bait for haddock.
- Haddock is marketed fresh, frozen, smoked, salted, and dried. Finnan haddie, produced by a Scottish method of smoking and drying, received its ñame from the town of Findon, Scotland.
- Haddock belongs to the codfish and hake family, Gadidae. The common haddock is genus Melanogrammus, species M. aeglefinus.
