Cod, Atlantic

Cod, Atlantic

The Atlantic cod stock collapsed in the early 1990s and is currently undergoing overfishing. It is listed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. This species is frequently caught using bottom or otter trawls, nets that drag along the seafloor, and can damage the bottom habitat and remove or cover animals and plant life. This fishing method also can result in the unintended capture of many other types of marine life (bycatch).

Atlantic cod is one of Food & Water Watch’s Dirty Dozen.

Recommended alternatives to Atlantic cod:
• Cod, Pacific (not trawl-caught)
• Atlantic mackerel
• Barramundi, U.S. farmed
• Black cod, Pacific U.S. (also known as sablefish)
• Pompano
• Salmon, U.S. wild-caught Alaska
• Snapper, Mangrove or Gray
• Tuna, Atlantic skipjack
• Tuna, Pacific Albacore
• Wreckfish

Fish Lingo

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Methodology

Mercury and PCB contaminant information for the Smart Seafood Guide is drawn from Environmental Defense Fund’s Health Alert List. Environmental Defense calculates health advisories based on government databases and scientific studies Read More...

** Disclaimer

These recommendations are intended as a general reference. They are not intended to provide specific medical advice, supplant any government warnings or otherwise prevent exposure to any health hazards associated with seafood. People should always follow proper acquisition, handling and cooking procedures of any seafood they prepare or consume. The devastating April 2011 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is likely to impact availability of some seafood items on this card. For more information, see the latest government updates at http://bit.ly/gulfseafood and http://bit.ly/gulfNOAA

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