follows the trawlers for scraps
- Size
- Length: 40–60 cm, Weight: 1–2 kg
- Lifespan
- 10–15 years
- Diet
- Feeds on small fish, squid and crustaceans. Scavenges dead squid and trawler discards. Lives on muddy and sandy bottoms from 50 to 400 metres depth. Often caught as bycatch and sold as budget alternative.
- Habitat
- Inhabits muddy and sandy bottoms from 50 metres down to 400 metres. Acts as cleanup crew of the deep, following trawlers and feeding on discarded scraps. Prefers soft sediment environments.
- Range
- Found around North and South Islands on muddy and sandy bottoms from 50 to 400 metres depth. Most common in deeper water off South Island coast. Often caught as bycatch in bottom trawl fisheries.
- Endemism
- Endemic
- Main Threats
- Commercial bottom trawling is primary threat, with large numbers caught as bycatch. Habitat loss occurs from bottom trawling damaging muddy habitats. No targeted recreational fishery exists for this species.
- Population
- Not Threatened, though soft, watery flesh means they are not highly prized by commercial fishermen. Often caught as bycatch and sold cheaply as budget alternative to blue cod or snapper.
- Conservation Status
- Not Threatened
- Human Risk
- harmless
- Handling Note
- native red cod, harmless to humans, leave undisturbed
- Conservation Note
- Endemic marine fish; not assessed by NZTCS as marine fish are outside the scope of current threat classifications.
- Te Ao Māori
- The Hoka was known to Māori as a deep-water fish. It occasionally appeared in shallower bays. Its soft flesh meant it was often dried or smoked for preservation rather than eaten fresh. Today the red cod is the fish that gets no respect. It sits at the bottom of the chilled cabinet. It waits for someone who knows a bargain when they see one. This practical approach reflects traditional methods of preserving less durable catches.
Pick up a red cod and you will notice something odd. The flesh is soft almost jelly-like. It is nothing like the firm white fillets of its blue cousin. This fish spoils faster than almost any other in New Zealand waters. You need to eat it the day you catch it. Or freeze it immediately. No exceptions. That softness has given the red cod a strange reputation. It sits somewhere between a legitimate catch and a disappointment.
It looks like a cod at least at first glance. A chunky deep-bodied fish with a prominent chin barbel. That little whisker gives it character. The colour is reddish-brown to pale pink. Hence the name. But the similarity to true cods ends when you get it to the kitchen. The Māori name Hoka captures something of its nature. It is a deep-water fish that occasionally appears in shallower bays. Soft-fleshed and better suited to drying or smoking than fresh eating.
Red cod are bottom-dwellers with a scavenger's appetite. They eat anything they can find. Small fish crabs worms dead squid and the bits that fall from the tables of trawlers above are all on the menu. They often gather in large schools. They hover just above the mud waiting for something to drift by. This habit makes them easy to catch. It also explains why the flesh is often soft and watery. These are not athletes. They are opportunists.
Old-timers say that if you catch a red cod you have been fishing too deep. There is truth to that. But if you cook it properly battered and fried fresh from the water it is a perfectly good feed. It is the fish of the working class. Cheap honest and best enjoyed with a squeeze of lemon and a cold beer. The Hoka gets no respect. It sits at the bottom of the chilled cabinet waiting for someone who knows a bargain when they see one. That someone should be you.