An initial investigation of lipids and fatty acids of Nova Scotian "soft" cod

Abstract

"Soft" cod Gadus morhua are a regular economic problem in fisheries on the Scotian Shelf. A preliminary study has been conducted and a low fat content in viscera is the principal abnormality. The lipid content, lipid class profiles, and fatty acids of the fillets from two "soft oily" cod were also examined in this study and were relatively similar to those of one "control" fish as well as to "normal" Atlantic cod. It was however observed that the fatty acid details of the soh oily cod were slightly different from those in the literature for "normal" Atlantic cod. The aquarium-held control fish supplied by Fisheries and Oceans Canada also had a slightly different fatty acid composition. Lipids could not be directly associated with the soft cod condition.