One of our most important fish
Due to natural conditions and sustainable management, Norway catches cod from the largest cod stock in the world. So it’s no surprise that economically it’s our most important wild fish now and throughout history. Which is why we call it white gold.
Norwegian cod is quality cod
- Carefully handled
- Yields large fillets
- Flakes perfectly
- Nourishing
- Unique taste
- Transported within hours
As fresh as our cold, clear waters
The firm flesh of Norwegian cod has a delicate white colour. Its characteristic flaky structure and mild taste makes it ideal for a wide variety of dishes.
Let us introduce you
What to look for
- Look for the elongated, stout body
- The curving white sideline
- A distinctive beard thread under the chin
Fact file
- Latin name: Gadus morhua
- Family: Cod family
- Maximum size: 200cm and 60kg
- Where they live: The warm side of the Polar Front in the Barents Sea
- Main spawning area: Lofoten/Vesterålen
- Spawning time: February-April
- Diet: Mainly fish
Catch methodes
-
1 Purse-seine
Ring net is a net wall that the vessel sets around the shoal of fish. This is drawn shut at the bottom and the trapped shoal is hauled or pumped on board.
Purse-seine is an active fishing gear
The gear must approach the fish to make a catch. With the exception of Danish seine, fishermen who wish to use active fishing gear must obtain special concessions. This makes it illegal in fishing as a leisure pursuit.
-
2 Trawl net
Trawling uses a large bag that is held open by trawler doors while the vessel drags it through the water. This is a vital fishing method for the Norwegian cod fisheries.
Trawl net is an active fishing gear
The gear must approach the fish to make a catch. With the exception of Danish seine, fishermen who wish to use active fishing gear must obtain special concessions. This makes it illegal in fishing as a leisure pursuit.
-
3 Danish seine
Something between trawl and net fishing. Danish seine vessels set a large bag around the fish, dragging it a short distance through the water before hauling it on board.
Danish-seine is an active fishing gear
The gear must approach the fish to make a catch. With the exception of Danish seine, fishermen who wish to use active fishing gear must obtain special concessions. This makes it illegal in fishing as a leisure pursuit.
-
4 Long line
A long-line consists of a main line affixed at intervals with a series of short lines, known as snoods. These are approximately half a metre in length with a baited hook at the end.
The long line is a passive fishing gear
The fish must approach the fishing gear to be caught. This is a conventional catch method, hence the vessels that fish in this way are called conventional fishing vessels.
-
5 Net
Net fishing utilises a net wall with a float line along the top and a lead line along the bottom, allowing the net to stand vertical in the sea.
The net is a passive fishing gear
The fish must approach the fishing gear to be caught. This is a conventional catch method, hence the vessels that fish in this way are called conventional fishing vessels.
-
6 Hand line
A trolling line, or juksa, is a fishing line with a small number of hooks. It’s used to fish vertically in the water column.
The hand line is a passive fishing gear
The fish must approach the fishing gear to be caught. This is a conventional catch method, hence the vessels that fish in this way are called conventional fishing vessels.
How we keep it fresh
For the past 20 years, sales of traditional white fish have risen steadily, whilst frozen and farmed fish consumption has decreased.
Maximising freshness
Either, the time from capture to consumption must be reduced or tighter temperature control can be applied. For every 5°C rise in fish storage temperature, the shelf life more than halves.
Use of the term ‘fresh’ is acceptable to describe ‘fish that has been kept chilled on ice, but not stored deep frozen’.
Super chilling is sometimes used to slow the rate of spoilage, holding the fish at 2°C is reported to extend the shelf life of the fish to 26 days before off flavours are detected.
Once lost, freshness quality cannot be regained. There is no quick fix to slow spoilage because of the way fish spoils.
Bacteria inside the fish are protected by the muscle blocks, which neutralise the chemical or UV light. Some treatments may have a deodorising effect, temporarily masking poor quality, but trials have shown no significant long-term benefits.
Measuring fish quality
A recent UK survey showed that that the majority of consumers will throw out chilled fish if they have had it in the fridge for more than a couple of days, due to fear of food poisoning.
Clearly there is confusion over the safety of uncooked fish, raw bivalve shellfish and cooked ready to eat seafood products. Raw white fish is intrinsically safe after cooking; it is inedible long before it becomes harmful.
Human sensory assessment still remains the fastest and most accurate way of assessing fish freshness. Non-human techniques exist but these can be problematic.
Chemical analysis including total volatile bases (TVB) or (TMA) is also time consuming to get a result and can prove inaccurate until the fish is well past the point of acceptability. There are also questions over the lack of a standard method which limits the usefulness of chemical testing. Microbiological testing is also sometimes used to determine freshness quality.
Total viable count (TVC) should not be used, as it is common for fish straight out of the sea to have a TVC of 1x105-1x106. A better correlation is seen be measuring specific fish spoilage bacteria such as Pseudomonas or Shewanella species.
