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See the fishing tripsThe Coalfish
All year
61 cm
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The Coalfish belongs to the Gadidae family. With a size of up to 1.30 m, the coalfish can weigh up to 10 kg. It has a life span of 8 to 10 years. The breeding period varies according to the location. The female lays up to 4 million eggs. It can be fished all year round but at a minimum catch size of 61 cm.
Its body is fusiform and elongated, covered with small round scales. In profile, the lower jaw is slightly prominent. The back is greenish brown; the belly is silvery. The clear and almost straight lateral line is well marked. It extends along the entire length of its sides. There may also be a black spot at the base of the pectoral fins. The mouth is terminal. She's black on the inside. The fins are soft-raked. They are dark like the back of a fish, except for the lighter pelvic fins. The coalfish has 3 dorsal fins, the first being triangular, the others longer, and 2 anal fins. The pelvic fins are positioned well forward, under the head, and the caudal fin is a little concave. Young people may have a small barbel on their chin.
The Coalfish lifestyle
Up to two years old, near the coast, it feeds on plankton. Then, during his pelagic life, it eats small fish such as sprat, blue whiting or pout, but also small crustaceans or mollusks.
Sexual maturity is reached between 4 and 7 years, corresponding to a height between 50 and 80 cm. In the Western Atlantic, spawning occurs between December and February, while in the Eastern Atlantic it occurs between February and March. Breeding takes place at great depths, between 100 and 200 m, in areas that are generally rocky. This leads to real migration of populations. In cold waters, between 3 and 6°C, the female lays up to 4 million eggs. Their life is pelagic, between 50 and 90 m deep. Then the larvae swim in plankton in shallow water for 3 to 4 months. By reaching a length of 3 cm, the larvae approach coastal waters or fjords. Juveniles live there until they are two years old. This fish grows quickly (about 60 cm in 5 years).
The Coalfish habitat
The coalfish lives in banks, in open water, even if it sometimes approaches the coast in spring. It can also be found around wrecks. It generally lives between 100 and 200 m deep.
However, it lives closer to the coast during the first two years of its life. It is only rarely encountered in diving.
The coalfish lives in the North Atlantic where it is very common. In the east, its presence extends from the Bay of Biscay to northern Norway and Iceland. In the west, its distribution extends from North Carolina to Greenland.
The Coalfish angling
Fishing for coalfish takes place all year round along the Norwegian coast. Most often, fishermen use bottom trawl, purse seine, gillnet, Danish seine and handline.
