Haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus)
Distribution data supplied by the Ocean Biodiversity Information System (OBIS). To interrogate UK data visit the NBN Atlas.Map Help
Researched by | Morvan Barnes | Refereed by | Admin |
Authority | (Linnaeus, 1758) | ||
Other common names | - | Synonyms | - |
Summary
Description
Recorded distribution in Britain and Ireland
Found throughout British and Irish waters but more common off the north-eastern Scotland, north-east England, south-western England and the Irish sea.Global distribution
-Habitat
The common haddock is a demersal species and shoals in colder waters at depths of 40-300 m. It can be found over rock, sand, gravel or shells.Depth range
-Identifying features
- Dark uninterrupted lateral line.
- Three dorsal fins, two anal fins.
- Dark spot below first dorsal fins.
- First dorsal fin is high, triangular and has a concave trailing margin.
- Short and rounded nose and big eyes.
- Small mouth, not gaping back to below the eye.
Additional information
Melanogrammus aeglefinus is a valuable species that is exploited commercially in mixed trawl and seine fisheries, along with cod (Gadus morhua) and whiting (Merlangius merlangus), and is a bycatch in Norway lobster (Nephrops norvegicus) fisheries (Hedger et al., 2004). Spawning takes place from March to May, at depths of 100-150 m (Alekseeva & Tormosova, 1979). The easiest ways to tell a haddock from a cod (Gadus morhua) are by the dark colouring of the lateral line and the presence of a dusky blotch just below either of the first dorsal fins.Listed by
Bibliography
Alekseeva, E.I. & Tormosova, I.D., 1979. Maturation, spawning and fecundity of the North Sea haddock, Melanogrammus aeglefinus. Journal of Ichthyology, 19, 56-64
Cargnelli, L.M., Griesbach, S.J., Berrien, P.L., Morse, W.W. & Johnson, D.L., 1999. Essential fish habitat source document: Haddock, Melanogrammus aeglefinus, life history and habitat characteristics. NOAA Technical Memorandum, NMFS-NE-128
Froese, R. & Pauly, D., 2007. Fishbase. A global information system on fishes. [On-line] http://www.fishbase.org, 2008-02-18
Hayward, P.J. & Ryland, J.S. (ed.) 1995b. Handbook of the marine fauna of North-West Europe. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Hedger, R., McKenzie, E., Heath, M., Wright, P., Scott, B., Gallego, A., & Andrews, J., 2004. Analysis of the spatial distributions of mature cod (Gadus morhua) and haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) abundance in the North Sea (1980-1999) using generalised additive models. Fisheries Research, 70, 17-25
Howson, C.M. & Picton, B.E., 1997. The species directory of the marine fauna and flora of the British Isles and surrounding seas. Belfast: Ulster Museum. [Ulster Museum publication, no. 276.]
Whitehead, P.J.P., Bauchot, M.-L., Hureau, J.-C., Nielson, J. & Tortonese, E. 1986. Fishes of the North-eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean. Vol. I, II & III. Paris: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).
Datasets
Environmental Records Information Centre North East, 2018. ERIC NE Combined dataset to 2017. Occurrence dataset: http://www.ericnortheast.org.ukl accessed via NBNAtlas.org on 2018-09-38
Fenwick, 2018. Aphotomarine. Occurrence dataset http://www.aphotomarine.com/index.html Accessed via NBNAtlas.org on 2018-10-01
Isle of Wight Local Records Centre, 2017. IOW Natural History & Archaeological Society Marine Records. Occurrence dataset: https://doi.org/10.15468/7axhcw accessed via GBIF.org on 2018-09-27.
Kent & Medway Biological Records Centre, 2017. Fish: Records for Kent. Occurrence dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/kd1utk accessed via GBIF.org on 2018-09-27.
NBN (National Biodiversity Network) Atlas. Available from: https://www.nbnatlas.org.
North East Scotland Biological Records Centre, 2017. NE Scotland fish records 1800-2010. Occurrence dataset: https://doi.org/10.15468/kjrwnd accessed via GBIF.org on 2018-10-01.
OBIS (Ocean Biodiversity Information System), 2024. Global map of species distribution using gridded data. Available from: Ocean Biogeographic Information System. www.iobis.org. Accessed: 2024-10-10
Citation
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Last Updated: 22/05/2008