First record of brown colouration of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua, L.) from the North Sea

Abstract

This paper reports the biological characterisation of a specimen of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua L.) with a unique brown colour, which is the first fish of this species with such a colouration recorded from European waters. It was caught in the coastal zone of the North Sea in June 2011. This ‘brown’ cod fish weighed 1074.3 g and had an overall length of 422 mm.

Keywords

• North Sea
• Gadus morhua
• Skin colour
• Brown cod