CreatureData

Haddock

Melanogrammus aeglefinus (Linnaeus, 1758)

VUVulnerablebony fish

The haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) is a bony fish in the family Gadidae. It belongs to the genus Melanogrammus, suborder Gadoidei, order Gadiformes and class Teleostei, within the phylum Chordata.

Haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus)
Photo: Unknown author Unknown author · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the haddock

The species was named by (Linnaeus, 1758). In its global assessment, the IUCN Red List classifies the haddock as Vulnerable (VU), a threatened category.

Weight
Not recorded
Length
up to 94 cmsrc for Length
Lifespan
14 yearssrc for Lifespan
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
marinesrc for Habitat
Egg incubation
7 days – 21 dayssrc for Egg incubation
Young per litter or clutch
Not recorded
Reproduction
Eggssrc for Reproduction
Conservation status
Vulnerable (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

What does the haddock eat, and what eats it?

Species recorded in published studies and collections.

Recorded prey of the haddock

The 24 best supported of 390 on record

  1. Dragonet Callionymus lyra8 sources
  2. Atlantic mackerel Scomber scombrus6 sources
  3. Nordic krill Meganyctiphanes norvegica6 sources
  4. Norway pout Trisopterus esmarkii6 sources
  5. Dab Hippoglossoides platessoides6 sources
  6. Atlantic herring Clupea harengus6 sources
  7. Northern prawn Pandalus borealis6 sources
  8. Atlantic cod Gadus morhua6 sources
  9. Thysanoessa inermis5 sources
  10. Themisto abyssorum6 sources
  11. Sea mouse Aphrodita aculeata4 sources
  12. White abra Abra alba4 sources
Show 12 more
  1. Goniada maculata4 sources
  2. Themisto compressa4 sources
  3. Crangon allmanni4 sources
  4. Hermit crab Pagurus bernhardus4 sources
  5. Brittlestar Ophiura albida4 sources
  6. Portunid crab Macropipus tuberculatus4 sources
  7. Snail opheliid Ophelia limacina4 sources
  8. Norway lobster Nephrops norvegicus4 sources
  9. Pink prawn Pandalus montagui4 sources
  10. Elongate abra Abra prismatica4 sources
  11. Common brittlestar Ophiothrix fragilis4 sources
  12. Eudorellopsis deformis4 sources

Recorded predators of the haddock

The 24 best supported of 30 on record

  1. Atlantic cod Gadus morhua10 sources
  2. Saithe Pollachius virens6 sources
  3. Merlangius Merlangius merlangus5 sources
  4. Spiny dogfish Squalus acanthias5 sources
  5. Lythe Pollachius pollachius5 sources
  6. Dab Hippoglossoides platessoides5 sources
  7. Thornback Amblyraja radiata5 sources
  8. Monk Lophius piscatorius4 sources
  9. Turbot Scophthalmus maximus4 sources
  10. Grey gurnard Eutrigla gurnardus4 sources
  11. Ling Molva molva4 sources
  12. Whiff Lepidorhombus whiffiagonis4 sources
Show 12 more
  1. Hake Merluccius merluccius4 sources
  2. Putassu Micromesistius poutassou3 sources
  3. Common minke whale Balaenoptera acutorostrata3 sources
  4. Atlantic puffin Fratercula arctica11 sources
  5. Greenland shark Somniosus microcephalus4 sources
  6. Atlantic mackerel Scomber scombrus3 sources
  7. Atlantic halibut Hippoglossus hippoglossus3 sources
  8. Atlantic horse mackerel Trachurus trachurus3 sources
  9. School shark Galeorhinus galeus3 sources
  10. Homelyn ray Raja montagui3 sources
  11. Artic skate Amblyraja hyperborea3 sources
  12. Redfish Sebastes mentella3 sources

Each pair is recorded by at least two independent datasets. A record shows the animal was seen or found to have eaten the other, including scavenged carcasses and young animals; it does not say how often. Compiled by Global Biotic Interactions (CC0 1.0).

References for these records
  • FishBase
  • Globi
  • Pinnegar, J.K. (2014). DAPSTOM - An Integrated Database & Portal for Fish Stomach Records. Version 4.7. Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science, Lowestoft, UK. February 2014, 39pp. Accessed at <https://www.cefas.co.uk/umbraco/CefasPlugins/DapstomSurface/Download?searchType=predator&s
  • Bar2
  • Pinnegar, J. K., Trenkel, V. M., Tidd, A. N., Dawson, W. A. and Du Buit, M. H. 2003. Does diet in Celtic Sea fishes reflect prey availability? Journal of Fish Biology 63(Supplement A): 197-212.
  • Erik
  • Cooperative Research Report No. 164; Cooperative Research Report No. 219, ICES Stomach DatasetImpl, ICES
  • H�ines, �. S., and Bergstad, O. A. 1999. Resource sharing among cod, haddock, saithe and pollack on a herring spawning ground. Journal of Fish Biology, 55: 1233-1257.
  • Burgos, G., and Mehl, S. 1987. Diet overlap between North-east Arctic cod and haddock in the southern part of the Barents Sea in 1984�1986. ICES CM, 1987/G: 50: 22pp.
  • IMR-PINRO report 2009. Stomach data base and Ecosystem survey 2009
  • Kroll, unpublished
  • Mehl, S. 1991. The Northeast Arctic cod stock's place in the Barents Sea ecosystem in the 1980s: an overview. Polar Research, 10: 525-534.

Photos of the haddock

Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.

Haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus)
Vsevolod Rudyi · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus)
H. L. Todd · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus)
Artemas Ward · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Where does the haddock live?

Not recorded

What is the haddock?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) is a saltwater ray-finned fish from the family Gadidae, the true cods. It is the only species in the monotypic genus Melanogrammus. It is found in the North Atlantic Ocean and associated seas, where it is an important species for fisheries, especially in northern Europe, where it is marketed fresh, frozen and smoked; smoked varieties include the Finnan haddie and the Arbroath smokie. Other smoked versions include long boneless, the filleted side of larger haddock smoked in oak chips with the skin left on the fillet.

From the Wikipedia article “Haddock” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Haddock&oldid=1382673297), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the haddock endangered?

The haddock is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List: it faces a high risk of extinction in the wild.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Vulnerable species. What the categories mean.

How is the haddock classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classTeleostei
  4. orderGadiformes
  5. familyGadidae
  6. genusMelanogrammus
  7. SpeciesMelanogrammus aeglefinus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Synonyms Aeglefinus linnei, Gadus aeglefinus, Melanogrammes aeglefinus, Morhua aeglefinus

Other names and names in other languages (61)
  • agrafínAsturian
  • PikşaAzerbaijani
  • anonBreton
  • AzenBreton
  • codogBreton
  • EglefíCatalan
  • treska skvrnitáCzech
  • hadogWelsh
  • corbenfrasWelsh
  • HadogiaidWelsh
  • kullerDanish
  • ShellfischGerman
  • SchellfischGerman
  • eglefinoSpanish
  • روغنماهی کوچکPersian
  • hýsaFaroese
  • ÂneFrench
  • aiglefinFrench
  • anonFrench
  • BourricotFrench
  • CaleverFrench
  • eglefinFrench
  • églefinFrench
  • HabillotFrench
  • Saint-pierreFrench
  • cadógIrish
  • adagScottish Gaelic
  • adaganScottish Gaelic
  • FogoeiroGalician
  • BakalarkaCroatian
  • Foltos tőkehalHungarian
  • ԻշաձուկArmenian
  • ýsaIcelandic
  • コダラJapanese
  • モンツキダラJapanese
  • პიქშაGeorgian
  • juodadėmė menkėLithuanian
  • PikšaLatvian
  • КолјаMacedonian
  • hyseNorwegian Bokmål
  • koljeNorwegian Bokmål
  • schelvisDutch
  • hyseNorwegian Nynorsk
  • hyseNorwegian
  • ÉqhélfinPicard
  • łupaczPolish
  • plamiakPolish
  • wątłusz srebrzystyPolish
  • ArincaPortuguese
  • Melanogrammus aeglefinusRomanian
  • пикшаRussian
  • pikshaRussian
  • diksuNorthern Sami
  • juksuNorthern Sami
  • vahnjaSlovenian
  • Troftë detiAlbanian
  • UgoticaSerbian
  • koljaSwedish
  • mezgitTurkish
  • пікшаUkrainian
  • 黑線鱈Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistITISTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List

Relatives of the haddock

Other species in the same family Gadidae.

LC, Least Concern
Merlangius (Merlangius merlangus)

Merlangius

Merlangius merlangus

Gadidae

Saithe (Pollachius virens)

Saithe

Pollachius virens

Gadidae

Putassu

Micromesistius poutassou

GadidaeNo free photo yet

Lythe

Pollachius pollachius

GadidaeNo free photo yet

Polar cod

Boreogadus saida

GadidaeNo free photo yet

CompareHaddock vs Atlantic codHaddock vs MerlangiusHaddock vs SaitheHaddock vs Putassu

Common questions

Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.

What kind of animal is a haddock?

The haddock is a bony fish. It belongs to the family Gadidae in the order Gadiformes.

What is the scientific name of the haddock?

The scientific name of the haddock is Melanogrammus aeglefinus. It is placed in the genus Melanogrammus.

Who named the haddock and when?

The haddock's scientific name carries the authority (Linnaeus, 1758).

Is the haddock endangered?

The haddock is listed as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List in its global assessment. Vulnerable is an IUCN threatened category.

What family does the haddock belong to?

The haddock belongs to the family Gadidae, within the suborder Gadoidei.

What eats the haddock?

Animals recorded preying on the haddock include atlantic cod, saithe, merlangius and spiny dogfish. The records are compiled by Global Biotic Interactions from published studies; each pair is reported by at least two datasets.

Which animals does the haddock eat?

Animals recorded as prey of the haddock include dragonet, atlantic mackerel, nordic krill and norway pout. The records are compiled by Global Biotic Interactions from published studies; each pair is reported by at least two datasets.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-14. How this page is put together.

Embed a card for this animal on your own site

Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.

Preview the card

APA

CreatureData. (2026). Haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/haddock

MLA

“Haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/haddock.

BibTeX
@misc{haddock_2026,
  title = {Haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/haddock},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-14}
}