Lingcod
Ophiodon elongatus

Physical Description

• Long slender fish with long bodies that narrow at the tail.
• Dark grey, brown, or greenish coloration on back with copper mottling on upper back.
• Large head and large mouth on bottom of head; 18 large sharp teeth.
• Can weigh up to 80 pounds and be as long as 5 feet.
• By about age 4, female lingcod grow faster than the males.
• Flesh can naturally be blue-green prior to cooking.

Range

• From Kodiak Island in the Gulf of Alaska to Baja California, Mexico.
• Most abundant near British Columbia and Washington.
• Not common in southern California, tend to like colder waters.

Habitat

• Live in shallow, rocky habitats.
• Live on rocky reefs and ocean bottoms.
• Often at depths of 30-300 feet. Can be found at depths of 1500 feet or more.

Reproduction

• Males are sexually mature at 2 years old, and 20 inches long; females at 3 years old and 30 inches long.
• Mating occurs in late fall. Males become territorial over nests.
• Females are only at their nests long enough to lay the eggs.
• Males guard nesting areas for 8-10 weeks until the eggs hatch.
• Males have been known to attack humans while guarding eggs.
• The egg masses can weigh 15 pounds and be 2.5 feet across!  

Diet

• Larval lingcod feed on zooplankton, like krill, larval crabs, and larval lobsters.
• Juvenile lingcod feed on other small fish.
• Adult lingcod are aggressive predators. They eat many bottom-dwelling fish, including smaller lingcod. They also eat squid, octopus, and crab.

Predators

• Lingcod eggs are eaten by rockfish, sea stars, sculpins, kelp greenling, and cod.
• Larval and adult lingcod are eaten by larger lingcod, marine mammals, and sharks.

Interesting Facts

• Lingcod are not cod at all. They are in the same group of fish as sablefish, Pacific rockfish, and scorpionfish.
• These fish can live more than 20 years.

Sources: NOAA Fisheries; EDF Seafood Source; Monterey Bay Aquarium; Alaska Department of Fish and Game

Photo: Kevin Lee