Cod are one of the most popular food fishes in the Atlantic. They have been an important food source for Native communities, including the Wampanoag of modern-day Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Historically, cod was also a favorite of European settlers as they learned to sustain themselves in North America. You can recognize them by their greenish-brown color and barbels on their chins (they look kind of like whiskers).

In addition to being a favorite food item, they are important predators in the ocean. Unfortunately, cod numbers have been dropping due to overfishing. This makes the ecosystem get out of whack—since there’s not enough of cod to eat enough prey (such as urchins, shrimp and lobsters), the prey populations expand.