Blue Cod

Blue Cod body colour varies depending on age.  Larger fish are more distinctly blue with greenish sides and a golden brown stripe above each eye.  Some smaller fish are mottled and show a trend towards shades of green.  Juveniles are white with a broad band of brown along the side.

Blue Cod are common in colder waters from Cook Strait south and around the Chatham Islands.  Juveniles are often found in shallow water; with adults found at depths of up to 150 metres.  Despite this, they are predominately an inshore domestic fishery with little deepwater by-catch.  They are also found in the Marlborough Sounds and off Wanganui. 

Blue Cod have medium-textured white flesh with a low oil content.  They are suitable for most cooking methods.




 Blue Cod









The Blue Cod fishery has been under threat with recent ban on fishing in the Nelson/Marlborough area. That has now been lifted and a slot size limit has been instituted. Not like the good old days ...............
I remember talking about Blue Cod fishing in a Christchurch pub with a local that had a holiday home near Nelson. He asked me what hook I used when snapper fishing; I replied saying I normally used suicide style hooks.
He laughed - 'you can't use those for blue cod - it takes too long to get the hook out of the cod's mouth when you are catching 300 or so cod in a day'. And he was deadly serious.......................