Haddock

Light. Flaky. Versatile.

Haddie. Scrod.

Haddock is like a beautiful blank canvas, waiting to absorb the flavors and bold seasonings in which it is cooked. Its versatility in both traditional and contemporary cuisines makes it perfect for frying, baking, or smoking.

Haddock is fished year-round on both sides of the Atlantic, most prevalently in the North Sea near Iceland. The haddock has a huge presence in New England fish markets and traditional cuisine, although the industry did take a bit of a hit due to overfishing in the mid-1900s. However, the haddock fishery has been slowly regaining ___ through sustainable harvesting practices and enactment of the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan, intended to reduce fishing mortality of heavily fished ground stocks by promoting rebuilding sustainable biomass levels. This is helped by the fact that haddock are one of the most productive fish—female haddock can produce between 850,000 to 3,000,000 eggs per spawn. 

Due to its versatility, delicate flavor, and easiness to cook, haddock is one of the most popular fish sought out by consumers.

A brief history

Monkfish had long been considered a nuisance by fishermen because they were too often pulled up in the nets with more marketable fish.

The haddock fishery exploded in popularity during the 1920s. Immigrants to the US from Great Britain and Ireland were particularly fond of the fish. Huge harvests ensured, with Boston the leading port. To give a sense of the enormity of scale, government records show that toward the end of the 1920s, in a single year, 120,000 tons of haddock was landed out of the Georges Bank—that’s 240 million pounds.

However, due to unregulated trawling, and overfishing, this caused a virtual collapse of the fishery in the 1930s. One of the largest issues unregulated trawling presented was the bycatch of juvenile haddock—too small for market—which were discarded overboard. However, due to the trauma of being thrown overboard, many of these fish never matured. Beginning in the 1950s, the fishery began to enact mesh-size reforms to reduce bycatch. However, even that could not help, and by the 1990s, haddock were considered “commercially extinct,” and predicted to never rebound.

However, with improved regulations and fishing pressure reduced, the haddock population slowly began to rebuild.

While a member of the cod family, haddock are slightly smaller than the Atlantic cod. They are a fast-growing species that typically range between 1 and 3 feet long at maturity. Haddock are distinguished by a black "thumbprint" found on each side of their body.

Size

Haddock feed on a variety of bottom-dwelling animals, including mollusks, worms, crustaceans, sea stars, sea urchins, and occasional fish eggs.

diet

Haddock are groundfish—they live near the bottom of the seafloor, and prefer habitats of gravel, pebbles, and smooth hard sand. These bottom types are more common in the Georges Bank. Juveniles are found in shallower water on bank and shoal areas, while larger adults are more common in deeper water.

habitat

Haddock spawn between January and June on eastern Georges Bank, to the east of Nantucket Shoals, and along the Maine coast over rock, gravel, sand, or mud bottoms. Every year, an average-sized female produces around 850,000 eggs, and larger females can produce up to 3 million eggs.

spawn

Cod (Gadidae).

Family

Haddock has long been one of the most popular fish in northern Europe because of its clean flesh and mild flavor. It is commonly used in chowders or in fish and chips in the U.S. and Britain, and cold-smoked in Scotland to make finnan haddie. 

Deciding on which whitefish to use in which recipe depends on a number of factors: (1) is the fish thick or thin, (2) is it flaky vs meaty, and (3) is the fish lean versus fatty. Thickness, flakiness, and fattiness play a part in cooking time. You can substitute fish for one another as long as they are the same thickness.

Fish is flaky because of the way its muscles are arranged, and the fact there is little connective tissue between them, plus that tissue dissolves at relatively low temperature. So what you’re seeing as flakes are individual muscles with connective tissue between them dissolved. Fish like haddock have lovely thick flakes that flake easily while cooking, making them great for recipes like fried fish or fish cakes.

In the Kitchen

Further, because the haddock is a lean fish, it will have a milder flavor. Further, because it is a lean fish, it is best cooked with moist heating methods like poaching, steaming, or baking. (Fattier fish are better for sauteing, roasting, and grilling).

A fresh haddock fillet will be firm and translucent, and hold together well. Less fresh fillets will become nearly opaque.

Haddock resembles cod, but contains twice the level of omega-3s.


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alternative to cod, hake, pollock, halibut.

The Whole Fish

The head of a haddock can be used as the base for fish stock. The cheeks can also be harvested, breaded, and fried.

head

The collar is the bony triangle of tender, fatty meat tucked between the gills. This where you find the fattiest, most delicious meat on the fish, oftentimes nicknamed “the chicken wings of the sea.” The whole collar can be grilled, or the meat can be stir-fried until the meat separates from bones, perfect for meaty pasta sauces.

collar

Haddock bones are perfect as the base of a fish stock.

bones

The haddock loin is a versatile piece of fish, and can be poached, steamed, baked, fried, or smoked

Loins

Haddock are found on both sides of the North Atlantic. In the western North Atlantic, haddock are found from Newfoundland to Cape May, NJ, and are most abundant in Georges Bank.

In 2022, commercial landings of haddock totaled 11 million pounds and were valued at $18 million. The haddock season runs from May 1 through April 30.

There are two stocks of haddock: the Georges Bank and the Gulf of Maine stocks. NOAA Fisheries and the New England Fishery Management Council manage the Gulf of Maine haddock. NOAA Fisheries and the New England Fishery Management Council collaborate with Canada to jointly manage the Georges Bank haddock.

Fishing & Sustainability

Harvest Methods

trawl nets. gillnets. bottom longlines. rod and reel.

Gillnets, longlines, and rod and reel used to harvest haddock have little to no impact on habitat. There are area closures and gear restrictions to reduce the habit impacts of trawl nets. Fishermen follow management measures to designed to reduce interactions with marine mammals, including gear modifications, seasonal closures, and use of marine mammal deterrents. 

In 2023, a recent scientific assessment found that the Gulf of Maine haddock stock declined unexpectedly; this meant the catch quotas for the fish were unsustainably high.

NOAA added the Gulf of Maine haddock stock to its overfishing list last month. The New England Fishery Management Council mandated an 84% reduction in catch quotes beginning in May 2023 in an attempt to halt the overfishing. In September 2023, NOAA raised those limits by 30% in an effort to avoid a potential shutdown of Maine's groundfish fishery but still prevent over-harvesting.

Environmental Impact & Efforts

  • NOAA has taken the following additional measures to prevent bycatch and sustainably manage this fishery. Fishermen are:

    1. Required to use large circle hooks and certain types of bait that limit gear interactions with sea turtles. Circle hooks are specifically designed to minimize the damage caused by hooking, giving animals that are captured and released a better chance at survival.

    2. Trained and certified to use special techniques to safely de-hook and release incidentally caught turtles. In fact commercial swordfishermen are required to attend workshops on releasing bycatch, including undersized swordfish.

    3. Required to use weak hooks in the Gulf of Mexico to reduce incidental catch of bluefin tuna, and are prohibited from using live bait to reduce bycatch of billfish

  • Haddock are managed jointly by the New England Fishery Management Council and NOAA Fisheries under the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan.

    This Plan mandates:

    • Proper Permitting;

    • Minimum Size and Retention Limits;

    • Annual Catch Limits;

    • Minimum size requirements and landing restrictions; and

    • Reporting requirements documenting catch, fishing activities, and sales

According to NOAA, the U.S. wild-caught haddock is a smart seafood choice because it is sustainably managed and responsibly harvested under U.S. regulations. According to the 2017 stock assessment, North Atlantic haddock is not overfished and not subject to overfishing.