Torsk
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Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons
Torsk is the Scandinavian name for cod, but specifically Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) which is also known commercially as codling.
All true torsk are cod but not all cod are torsk. Some in the cod (Gadidae) family are sometimes marketed as cod, but are more properly known as haddock, pollock, coley, whiting, hake, among others.
In Ireland and the UK, cusk (Brosme brosme) is called torsk, even though it is not.
Atlantic cod can live for twenty-five years, and are sexually mature at ages varying from two to eight years. It has been heavily overfished, to the point of being labelled vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Some stocks are more endangered than others, for example, in the western Atlantic around Canada and New England.
Eastern Atlantic cod stocks, around Iceland, Norway, and the Barents Sea (north of Norway and Russia and strictly part of the Arctic Ocean) are at healthy, sustainable levels.
North Sea and Celtic Sea cod stocks are still endangered. The situation in the North Sea is so dire that scientists have advised that there should be nr cod fishing in these waters. In addition, other stocks of the Gadidae family are also causing concern. Similar restricted fishing measures are expected to be suggested in the Celtic Sea.
Fish, once a cheap and easily sourced food, has become increasingly expensive. Suggested alternatives for cheaper meals are chicken, beans, pulses, eggs, mushrooms, and tofu.
Chicken and eggs are produced at speed on an industrial scale, but that’s a topic for another time.
Interesting. We are not big fish eaters.
ReplyDeleteThe theory of banning fishing is good but it needs strong enforcement, something our department here is not very good at.
ReplyDeletePart of the high cost of fish is no one wants fish with bones in it now, myself included.
Most of our cod comes from the north Sea . Salt cod is very popular in Greece. It's a popular dish, fried with garlic sauce. The most expensive is Norwegian I think. Often now we buy a cheaper alternative, probably one of those you've listed.
ReplyDeleteMy favourite fish is trout, locally sourced from the Black Forest where it is often raised the traditional way in small-ish ponds near woodland farms, some with their own restaurant where they serve the fish straight from the pond.
ReplyDeleteI don't eat it often, but when I do, it's a luxury meal for me, complete with horseradish cream and a glass of sparkling wine.
I have often wondered what our seas would have been like before fishing boats and nets. Cod would probably have been so plentiful that at times coastal waters would have had a silvery appearance. And no plastic debris either.
ReplyDeleteCod has become very expensive here in our local fishmongers so it is a rare treat. I expect the fish we can buy from the supermarket is a cheaper alternative but even that costs more than local beef cuts.
ReplyDeleteWe rarely eat cod, other fish taste as nice, we did have a fish stall at our local market for a while, sadly they stopped coming, supermarket fish is expensive and tasteless.
ReplyDeleteIt is those large scale fishing nets that scoop up so much of the fish in the sea, some of which is thrown away. A staple meal in our country of course used to be fish and chips. Expensive now but always welcome when preparing a meal feels too much. And we traditionally always have it on Friday.
ReplyDeleteA sobering reminder that even the once-plentiful Atlantic cod, a fish that sustained entire coastal cultures for centuries, has become a symbol of how industrial overfishing can unravel marine ecosystems faster than they can recover.
ReplyDeleteA good piece of cod is a fine delicacy. Of course, in our usual human way we overfished them. As a species we provide ongoing lessons on how to ruin a good thing.
ReplyDeleteI must tell you, there is the most marvelous book, "Cod" by Mark Kurlansky. Everyone should read it!
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