Cusk
Cusk are a deep-water, bottom-dwelling marine fish found along Canada's Atlantic coast, from the Scotian Shelf to the Strait of Belle Isle. They're not a mainstream recreational target, but anglers fishing for groundfish occasionally encounter them.
Their population has declined sharply in recent decades, making them a species to handle with care.
Scientific Name: Brosme brosme
Also known as Tusk, brosmius, European cusk
- Single long dorsal fin running most of the body length — the clearest way to tell a cusk from cod or haddock at a glance.
- Dorsal, caudal, and anal fins are continuous but separated by deep notches; the tail is evenly rounded rather than forked.
- Color ranges from dark slate to reddish or greenish brown on top, fading to pale gray on the belly; juveniles may show yellowish crossbands.
- Typical adults run well under 10 lb in Canadian waters; the species can reach 45 lb and 4 ft, but fish that size are rare today.
What to know
Habitat Distribution
- Native to the North Atlantic; in Canada, most common on the Scotian Shelf and in the Gulf of Maine, with the range extending to the Strait of Belle Isle off Newfoundland.
- Only occasional records from the Gulf of St. Lawrence — not a reliable fishery there.
- A true deep-water species: most Canadian fish are taken between roughly 18 and 450 metres over rocky, gravel, or mud bottom — rarely over flat sand.
- Tied to cold water (0–10°C); as the Gulf of Maine warms faster than almost anywhere else in the ocean, suitable habitat is contracting.
Key Locations
- Scotian Shelf, Nova Scotia — the core of the Canadian range and where most documented catches originate.
- Gulf of Maine / Bay of Fundy approaches — shared waters along the Canada–U.S. boundary where cusk have historically been taken.
- Coastal Newfoundland and the Strait of Belle Isle — the northern edge of the Canadian range; fish present but less common.
Specific Spots
- Rocky ledges, reef edges, and hard-bottom knolls — cusk are almost never found over featureless sandy bottom.
- Seamounts and underwater rises concentrate them; depth-finder marks showing abrupt bottom relief are worth investigating.
- Deeper structure in 150–450 m is most productive on the Scotian Shelf, though shallower rocky ground (18–150 m) holds fish in the northwest Atlantic.
Cusk FAQ
Answers from onWater's species guide.
What are the best lures and bait for Cusk?
Cut bait, squid, herring, or mackerel, fished on a simple bottom rig is the standard approach; cusk respond to scent on the bottom more than to action or flash. Heavy jigs tipped with bait can work when targeting the same rocky structure, but plain bait rigs outfish bare metal for this species.
When is the best time to fish for Cusk?
Commercially available and most often encountered in winter and spring, when fishing effort on the Scotian Shelf is concentrated on deep rocky ground. Their sedentary nature means they're present year-round in suitable habitat.
How do you catch Cusk?
Cusk are taken almost entirely as incidental catch by anglers bottom-fishing for other groundfish species from boats over deep, rocky Atlantic offshore structure.
What do Cusk eat?
Bottom feeders that eat crustaceans, molluscs, echinoderms (sea urchins, starfish), and smaller fish, baits fished hard on the bottom, like squid strips or cut herring, match this feeding style directly.
Where do Cusk live?
Native to the North Atlantic; in Canada, most common on the Scotian Shelf and in the Gulf of Maine, with the range extending to the Strait of Belle Isle off Newfoundland. Only occasional records from the Gulf of St. Lawrence, not a reliable fishery there.
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