The
Maori cod (
Paranotothenia magellanica) is a commercially harvested
fish from the Southern Ocean. It is a member of the order
Perciformes and thus unrelated to the true cods.
The range of the Maori cod spreads from the southern tip of South America, the Falkland Islands, southern New Zealand and associated islands, the Patagonia coast to subantarctic regions, but it is rarely found in the Ross Sea. Because of its wide distribution it is fished by many countries, and is known by various names such as Orange throat notothen (South Africa), Maori Cod (USA), Maori Chief (USA), Megallanic Rockcod (USA), Blue nonothenia (USA) and Black cod (New Zealand). It is a bluish colored fish with a greyish yellow underside. It may be found up to the depths of 260 m. It may grow up to the lenght of 40cm. It is an important diet for seals and sea lions.
