• Scientific name: Melanogrammus aeglefinus
• Size: Up to 4ft in length and 25lbs.
• UK minimum size: 14ins/35cm
• UK shore caught record: 6lb 12oz
• IUCN Status: VU (Vulnerable)
• Distribution: Found on both sides of the Atlantic but more common on the European side. Relatively deep water fish that is usually found in water around fifty metres deep or more. In UK waters they are located more towards the north of the British Isles.
• Feeds on: Much more selective feeder than the closely related cod. Generally takes shellfish, worms and other small sea creatures found in the seabed, with fully grown haddock also hunting small fish.
• Description: Like all members of the cod family the haddock has three dorsal fins, the first of which is triangular. Distinctive black mark near to the pectoral fin which is known as the thumbprint. Silvery grey/brown back fading to a cream/pale underbelly. Mouth smaller and lower set than in the cod. The lateral line is black and curves slightly upwards. Tail is only slightly forked.

Haddock are a shoaling species that favours deep, cold water. This means that most fully grown haddock will stay clear of shallow waters and live in deeper offshore waters, making them a fairly rare catch for shore anglers, although smaller immature haddock and the occasional sizeable specimen can sometimes come quite close to the shore. Haddock are a fish of high commercial importance to European fisheries due to their white, flavourful flesh and are a key target of trawlers. The high demand for this species has led to stocks being over-exploited for decades, although recent years have seen fishing for this species become more sustainable. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature classes haddock as a Vulnerable species.

Distribution

There are separate stocks of European and North American haddock which do not intermix. Haddock in Europe are found in the colder waters of the North Sea, Baltic Sea and the Barents Sea, and off the coasts of Iceland and Greenland. They are found further south in Europe off the Atlantic coasts of France, Spain and Portugal, although their preference for colder water means that they are found in smaller numbers in these locations and they are absent from the warmer waters of the Mediterranean Sea and the coast of Africa. North American haddock stocks are primarily located around the coast of New England, although they can be found southwards as far as the coast of New Jersey. In Canadian waters they are found mainly around Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

Feeding and Reproduction

Haddock are demersal fish, meaning they live and feed on and around the seabed. The haddock is much more selective about what it eats than the cod, with small invertebrates, shellfish, worms and crabs making up the majority of its diet. They may occasionally hunt small fish such as sandeels and sprats, but this is not thought to be a major part of their diet until haddock are fully grown. Haddock in European waters move to the seas around Iceland and Norway to spawn in the spring, while populations around North America spawn in the Gulf of Maine. Eggs are released and float on the surface of the water where they will hatch in around ten days to two weeks. The larvae live in the upper surface of the sea for a few weeks before moving down to the seabed to feed there. A young haddock can be six inches in length by the end of its first year of life.

Commercial Value

Like cod haddock are a very important commercial species, being a premium whitefish and one of the ‘Big Five’ species (along with cod, tuna, prawns and salmon) which make up 60% of all seafood consumed in Britain. Haddock are sold as whole fish on wet fish counters, and also as frozen or chilled fillets and also smoked, dried and canned. Like cod, haddock is a whitefish – meaning that its flesh forms into delicate, mild white flakes when it is cooked. However, smoked haddock is often dyed a yellow colour prior to being sold, leading to some people thinking that haddock have yellow flesh. North sea towns such as Grimsby and Hull are famous for their haddock fishing (which still continues today) and the British-Indian dish of kedgeree is most often made with haddock.

Due to their high commercial value and their status current stock levels of haddock are under immense pressure. Haddock are currently classed as Vulnerable on a global basis by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, although they are classed as a species of Least Concern in European waters by the IUCN.

Methods and Techniques to Catch Haddock

The haddock’s preference for deeper water and the fact that it is a fairly selective feeder (certainly when compared to the cod) explains why it is a relatively rare catch for shore-based sea anglers. The British shore caught record stands at 6lb 12oz and was caught by G. Stevenson at Loch Goil, Argyll and Bute, Scotland and has stood since 1976. The boat caught record is a fish of 13lb 11oz which was caught off the Cornish coast in 1978 by G. Bones. The IGFA world record is a haddock of 14lb 15oz caught by Ms Heike Neblinger at Saltraumen, Norway in 1997.

Those that are caught usually go to anglers targeting cod with worm or shellfish baits, or a combination of the two. To be in with the best chance of catching a haddock the deepest water possible should be sought with areas around the north east of England and north and west Scotland offering the best chance of catching this species. However, other species such as cod and whiting are likely to dominate catches, meaning that anglers may have to put in a huge amount of time before they can tick a shore-caught haddock off their species list.