Ken Schultz's Field Guide to Saltwater Fish - Macaw Pets store

Closely related to the genus Gadus, the haddock is often
considered a member of the Gadidae, or codfish, family.
Haddock have long been important commercially and are
an even more highly valued food fish than Atlantic cod,
although stocks of haddock have declined rapidly since the
1960s due to overfishing.
Identification. The haddock has three dorsal fins and two
anal fins; the first dorsal fin is high and pointed. The small
chin barbel is sometimes hidden. Its coloring is purplish
gray on the back and sides, fading to pinkish reflections and
a white belly. There is a black lateral line along the side and
a black shoulder blotch. The dark lateral line and the shoulder
blotch can distinguish it from its close relatives in the
cod family. Three dorsal fins distinguish the haddock from
its relative the silver hake (see: Hake, Silver).
Size/Age. The average haddock is 1 to 2 feet long and
weighs 1 to 5 pounds. The all-tackle record is 11 pounds, 3
ounces, but they have been reported to attain 16 1 ⁄2 pounds.
Haddock can live for 14 years.
Life history/Behavior. The spawning season is between
January and June, and activity peaks during late March and
early April, when large congregations form in depths of 20
to 100 fathoms. Major spawning concentrations occur on
eastern Georges Bank, although some spawning also occurs
to the east of Nantucket Shoals and along the Maine coast.
Haddock swim in large schools, and there is some seasonal
migration to the north in the spring and south again
in the fall. Adult haddock on Georges Bank appear to be relatively
sedentary, but seasonal coastal movements occur in
the western Gulf of Maine. There are extensive migrations
in the Barents Sea and off Iceland.
Food and feeding habits. Primarily consuming crabs,
snails, worms, clams, and sea urchins, the haddock seldom
feeds actively on fish.
Haddock
Melanogrammus aeglefinus
OTHER NAMES
haddie, scrod; French:
eglefin; Italian: asinello;
Norwegian: kolje;
Portuguese: arinca, bacalhau;
Spanish: eglefino.
Distribution. In North
America the haddock is
found from Newfoundland
and Nova Scotia southward
to southern New Jersey. It
occasionally inhabits the
deep water to Cape Hatteras.
The highest concentrations
off the U.S. coast
occur on the northern and
the eastern sections of
Georges Bank and in the
southwestern Gulf of Maine.
Two stocks occur in U.S.
waters: the Gulf of Maine
stock and the Georges Bank
stock.
Habitat. Preferring deeper
water than do cod, haddock
inhabit depths of 25 to 75
fathoms. Although generally
a coldwater species, preferring
temperatures of 36° to
50° F, they are commonly
found in warm water over
bottoms of sand, pebbles, or
broken shells.
Haddock 97