Two crew members of the research vessel Tarajoq could hardly believe their eyes. In their nets lay a giant cod — the largest seen in Greenlandic research waters in 17 years.
The cod measured 138 centimetres and weighed 33 kilos. According to Tanja Buch, expedition leader on Tarajoq, such a size is rarely seen in their surveys.
“We rarely catch cod this big,” she said.
The fish was caught east of Greenland, in an area where cod and redfish are both common targets of research and fishing.
Heaviest in Nearly Two Decades
Greenland’s Natural Resources Institute confirmed that this is the heaviest cod landed in their research trips since 2008. Such large cod are legendary in northern waters, but they are few and far between.
In Iceland, old sea stories still tell of even bigger cod. In 2021, reports spread of a golden giant weighing 51 kilos caught near Kolbeinsey. That sparked a flood of memories from fishermen who had once wrestled with monster cod of their own.
Not an Everyday Fish
While fishermen still land good-sized cod around Iceland and Greenland, a 33-kilo cod stands out as a once-in-a-generation catch. It reminds people of the ocean’s mysteries — and the old tales of the giants that swim in the deep.