Atlantic tomcod | DE L'EAU À LA BOUCHE

corps allongé de couleur brune, parsemé de taches plus foncées avec des nuances de jaune ou de vert.

Ventre blanc jaunâtre à grisâtre.

Barbillon sur son menton. Mâchoire supérieure dépasse vers l’avant.

Sous la gorge, derrière la tête, deux fines nageoires forment un V inversé.

Trois nageoires dorsales et deux anales permettent de reconnaître ce poisson.

Queue en forme d’éventail.

Nom

Atlantic tomcod
Microgadus tomcod

Type

Bottom fish

Autres appellations

Nom en cuisine

État de la ressource

Not a cause for concern

Saison de consommation

Fresh between December and January.

SIZE :

From 16 to 25 cm, up to 45 cm.

LIFE EXPECTANCY :

Up to 6 years.

LIFE CYCLE :

Sexual maturity at 2 years of age.

Spawning takes place in fresh water, below the ice, from mid-December to the end of January. The female lays between 6,000 and 65,000 eggs at the foot of rapids, on a sand or gravel bottom. The eggs hatch one to two months later, depending on the temperature. The fry settle in the brackish waters of the rivers for a few months, before joining the adults in open sea.

Close to the bottom, at a depth which does not go beyond 70 m.

Its habitat varies throughout its life. The Atlantic tomcod lives in salt water and migrates to fresh water to reproduce. It is an anadromous fish.

Photographie d'un poulamon dans l'eau, une algue verte en arrière-plan.

It favours shallow coastal waters and estuaries.
Credit : Claude Nozères, photo taken in 2012.

Voir l’image en plein écran

PREY :

Crustaceans
Worms
Molluscs
Squids
Fishes

PREDATORS :

Marine mammals

MACHINES :

Line fishing, ice fishing.

REGULATIONS :

Commercial fishing for Atlantic tomcod has been banned since 1992. Sports fishing is under provincial authority.

Permits are not necessary to fish in the St. Lawrence and its tributaries downstream of Trois-Rivières. However, selling or buying Atlantic tomcod caught in the course of sport-fishing is prohibited by law.

Christmas fishing

Atlantic cod or “p’tit poisson des chenaux” (Tommy cod) have made Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade, between Trois-Rivières and Quebec City, world famous with its 500 or so ice-fishing shacks. From mid-December to mid-February, they form a magical little village for the duration of this “Christmas fishing festival”.

BENEFITS :

Atlantic tomcod are a good source of Omega-3 fatty acids, calcium, and protein.

LET’S COOK :

White flesh, flaky texture.

It is recommended to freeze Atlantic tomcod as quickly as possible after catching to keep all of its flavour. It is cut and cleaned while still frozen.

OUR CULINARY ADVICE :

Remove the head, tail and back, then cut the belly of the fish in two to remove the skin before eating.
No need to worry about the bones; they come off easily when the fish is cooked.
It is important to cook delicately, and not too long, in a pan, on the grill, or in the oven. It can also be deep-fried or cooked in a chowder.