Some biochemical characteristics of cod ( Gadus morhua L.) from the faroe bank compared with those from other fishing grounds

Abstract

1. 1. Several chemical criteria of biological condition were measured in cod ( Gadus morhua L.) caught in spring and autumn on a wide range of fishing grounds. 2. 2. While the water content of the muscle of well-fed fish usually lies between 80 and 81 per cent and rises in starvation, the muscle of cod caught on the Faroe Bank appears to be unique in that values below 80 per cent are frequently found during both seasons. 3. 3. The level of liver glycogen correlated significantly (negatively) with the minimum pH of the muscle after death but not with the muscle water content. 4. 4. The liver lipid content correlated negatively with both muscle pH and water content. 5. 5. The muscle of tcod shows an inverse relationship between water content and protein, akin to the “fat-water line” of fatty species. 6. 6. The proportion of dark muscle tissue in the musculature shows little variation from ground to ground, but preliminary observations show that the content of haem pigments in the dark muscle itself varies considerably, being most concentrated in Spitzbergen and Bear Island cod and least in those from the Faroe Bank.