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State Fish
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Massachusetts Symbols
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Massachusetts State Fish
Cod
(Gadus morhua)
Adopted in 1974.
The Cod, Gadus morrhua, a soft-finned fish, was designated the official state fish in 1974.
Description
The cod is probably the best-known fish caught commercially in UK waters. In appearance, the head is rather disproportionately large for the body, with the upper jaw protruding over the lower. The color of the body can vary depending on the habitat in which the fish is found, but ranges from reddish or greenish where the water is populated by algae, and pale grey where the fish is found in deep water or near a sandy bottom. The cod has a barbel on the end of its chin and, in common with several other members of the family, three dorsal and two anal fins. The tail fluke is square-ended, and the lateral line is noticeable and extends from the point of the gill covers to the centre of the tail root.
Range
Atlantic cod range from the north and eastern coast of North America, around the southern tip of Greenland across the north Atlantic to the waters around Iceland, the Faroes, the North Sea and the Barents Sea. It is found all around the British coast, reaching south to the Bay of Biscay.
History
Indians and Pilgrims used them as common food and fertilizer. A sculpture of a cod hangs in the House of Representatives as a tribute to this useful aquatic creature. For over 200 years, the emblem of the cod has remained a symbol of the Commonwealth's economic beginnings, as the fishing industry provided the Puritans with food, fertilizer, and revenue for trade.
Taxonomic Hierarchy
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| Kingdom |
Animalia -- animals |
| Phylum |
Chordata -- chordates |
| Subphylum |
Vertebrata -- vertebrates |
| Class |
Osteichthyes |
| Order |
Gadiformes |
| Family |
Gadidae |
| Genus |
Gadus |
| Species |
Gadus morhua |
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State Fishes
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This is a list of official and *unofficial U.S. state fish:
The only states lacking a state fish as of 2008 are Arkansas, Indiana, Kansas, and Ohio.
fish ('fish)
n. pl. fish or fishˇes
1. Any of numerous cold-blooded aquatic vertebrates of the superclass Pisces, characteristically
having fins, gills, and a streamlined body and including specifically:
2. The flesh of such animals used as food.
3. Any of various primitive aquatic vertebrates of the class Cyclostomata, lacking jaws
and including the lampreys and hagfishes.
4. Any of various unrelated aquatic animals, such as a jellyfish, cuttlefish, or crayfish.
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