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ATLANTIC COD Gadus morhua

Cod is caught all around Iceland and throughout the year but fishing is often best in winter. Spawning takes place in late winter, mainly off the southwest coast of Iceland. The main feeding grounds are off the northwest coast where the warm Gulf stream of the Atlantic meets the cold Polar currents and also along the north and east coast of Iceland.

Cod is mostly caught by bottom trawl, long line and gillnet and usually at depths of 100 - 250 m and ocean temperatures of 4 - 7 °C. The most common age of the landed catch is 4-7 years weighing 1 - 4 kg but larger fish are also caught.

The total fishable stock (4 years and older) was at the beginning of 2007 estimated at close to 650,000 tonnes and the spawning stock at 180,000 tonnes.

Long term landings of cod have varied from 180,000 tonnes to 470,000 tonnes per year in the last 30 years, with an average of close to 290,000 tonnes.

The total catch of cod by Icelandic vessels in Icelandic waters was 194,000 tonnes in the calendar year 2006 and is expected to be 15-20,000 tonnes less in 2007. The TAC set for the fishing year 2006/07 was 193,000 tonnes. 

The cod harvest rule employed since 1995 stated that the annual TAC for cod was to be set at 25% of the fishable biomass. Following recent recommendations by the Marine Research Institute, and based on recent poor recruitment to the cod stock, the government decided in July 2007 that the TAC for cod in the fishing year 2007/08 should be set at 20% of the fishable biomass. The TAC set for the fishing year 2007/08 is therefore 130,000 tonnes. 

Cod is by far the most economically important fish stock in Iceland. In recent years cod products have accounted for 35-40% of the total seafood export revenue.

The diagram shows the development of the cod catch since 2001 together with the recommendation of the MRI and the set TAC.  The MRI recommendation is based on the harvest control rule for cod, referred to in more detail in the management section.
Trend in catch per unit of effort (CPUE) in cod fishing is an indication of  fishing efficiency. With the standard for CPUE set at 100 for all types of gear in 1991, the CPUE for cod appeared to increase markedly in 1994-97 for all types of gear but after 1998 it seemed to fall significantly. In recent years the CPUE has has increased again in fishing by trawl and longline.
Cod recruitment Surveys by the Marine Research Institute indicate that recruitment to the cod stock has been poor in recent years. The 2001-2006 year classes are all below long-term average and the 2001 year class is the smallest on record. Average annual recruitment in this period has been estimated at 117 million fish, while recruitment in the period 1997-2000 was estimated at 170 million fish on average. Food availability and environmental factors play a large role for the survival of the most recent year classes.