Atlantic Cod

Habitat Distribution

• Native to Canada's Northwest Atlantic — found from the Labrador Sea and southern Greenland waters south through Newfoundland, the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and the Scotian Shelf.
• Northern cod stock occupies the waters off the southern Labrador coast and northeastern Newfoundland; separate stocks exist on the Grand Banks, in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and along the Scotian Shelf.
• Lives along the continental shelf from the shoreline down to roughly 300 m (1,000 ft), preferring cold, well-oxygenated saltwater over mixed bottom types — gravel, rock, and sand.
• Juveniles use nearshore rocky habitat and kelp beds; larger adults move to deeper offshore banks and shelf edges seasonally.

Key Locations

• Northeastern Newfoundland coast and southern Labrador — the heart of the northern cod stock's historic and current range, now the focus of the reopened commercial and recreational fishery.
• The Grand Banks off Newfoundland — the offshore shallow-water plateau that once held the most productive cod grounds in the world; still fished commercially under quota.
• Gulf of St. Lawrence — a separate cod stock occupies this enclosed sea, with inshore fishing opportunities along the Quebec Lower North Shore and Cape Breton coasts.
• Scotian Shelf off Nova Scotia — another distinct stock, historically important to Nova Scotia fishing communities, now under strict management.

Specific Spots

• Rocky bottom structure — ledges, reefs, and boulder fields — concentrates cod because the same habitat holds the crabs, capelin, and invertebrates they feed on.
• Depth transitions and shelf drop-offs are reliable holding areas, especially in summer when cod move deeper to follow cold water and forage.
• Nearshore kelp beds and rocky points hold smaller inshore cod, particularly in spring and fall when fish move shallower to feed.
• Current seams over underwater humps and banks funnel baitfish and draw cod up to feed — the same logic that applies to freshwater structure fishing.