Earliest Reference
Cod ear stones, solid particles that grow in the heads of cod and other fish over time, were found in a Stone Age settlement midden on Gotland Island, Sweden and dated to 3,000 B.C. represent the earliest confirmed use of cod as food.
Vikings
Because it could be preserved with salt, cod meat became an important transportable food for the Vikings leaving mainland Europe for Iceland and Greenland during the Middle Ages. Norse kings fought wars against the English over these fishing grounds. The Vikings developed a market for the fish in southern Europe.
Newfoundland
According to Mark Kurlansky's "Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World," the Portuguese and Basques discovered the North American cod fishery off Newfoundland prior to the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1492.
New Technologies
Cod fishing in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries transitioned from hooks and lines to weirs, purse seines, nets and traps.
Endangered Species
Cod stocks have reached an all-time low due to overfishing and the fish is now listed as endangered by many environmental watchdog organizations.
