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Cod is “the fish” in Iceland. It is by far the most important marine resource in Icelandic waters. Its economic importance has only briefly been surpassed by herring in the 20th century and possibly Greenland shark in the 19th. The cod is also a large, fecund, greedy and rather fast growing fish and therefore has great impact on other marine species in Icelandic waters..
The cod is also the most common fish in Eyjafjörður. It is not quite clear if there are one or more stocks found in the fjord. Some claim there are at least three stocks.
One is resident and grows slowly due to limited food availability in the fjord.
Another spawns in shallow waters along the north coast of Iceland in spring but then migrates to feeding areas in deeper waters and is not often seen within fjords outside the spawning season. These grow faster.
The third stock is the traditional stock that sustains most of the fisheries in Iceland. These fishes grow fastest. The main spawning areas for this stock is in warmer waters along the south and west coast of Iceland. Eggs and juveniles drift north with the currents and stay for the first years north of Iceland. When larger and mature they migrate to feeding areas west and east off Iceland. Occasionally it might migrate again into northern fjords.
Further research is needed to find out if these are in fact genetically separated stocks. It is also possible that these are genetically the same fishes but differences in growth are just because individual differences in behaviour and migrations.
The cod can be found all over Eyjafjörður, but the smallest individuals are usually in shallower waters. Cod juveniles, that hatch in the spring are pelagic until autumn when they become benthic. After that they usually stay in places where they can easily hide, for example in the kelp forests that reach down to about 20 m depth. The juveniles are very small the first year, have many enemies and spend most of the time hiding so they are not eaten. When they grow they become more daring. The largest cods, that can be more than 1 m long have few enemies (except man) and eat mainly smaller fishes, including its own.
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