TOMMYCOD

by Lee S. Wilbur

“Yeah”, says Dwayne Shaw, Director of Downeast Salmon Federation, “I don’t run into many people as I walk and wade the Downeast streams and brooks looking for night fish activity. Especially when the best time is during the Winter Solstice.”

Dwayne is a person who not only takes his work seriously, it is his passion in life. He would like nothing better than when he has layed his head on that pillow for the final time that Maine’s rivers and streams are teeming once again with our heritage species of Alewives, Atlantic Salmon, SeaRun Trout, Smelts, and Tommy Cod. Be in his company for a short while, especially if you are interested in fishing and the restoration thereof in Maine, and you cannot help but follow his visions with excitement rising to appropriate levels. I talked with Dwayne the other day after hearing from a mutual friend that Dwayne had been doing some “boots in the water” research on a fish I hadn’t heard of since my Dad the Doctor passed away in the “80s.” I vaguely remembered him reminiscing of catching Tomcod, or “Frostfish,” as they were often called, in the winter months, undoubtedly a welcome respite from the Salt Cod, Corned Hake and clams many families depended on in the early part of the 20th century.

Microgadus Tomcod (Gadus being Latin for Cod) are found in North American coastal waters from the Gulf of St. Lawrence and northern Newfoundland south to Virginia. Anadronomous, meaning they have to come into fresh water to spawn, their season usually runs from late-December to mid-February, although this may vary slightly by location. One relatively well known area attested by the number of fishermen there each winter is the town of Sainte-Anne-de-la-P’erade on the Sainte-Anne River in Quebec, where an actual fishing village is built on the frozen river every winter to fish for Tommycod.

Dwayne tells of the Archeological dig in Gouldsboro: “We know the Indians relied heavily on Tommycod from the huge amount of Tommycod bones found in the digs. The term “Frostfish” is interesting as well because these fish after being caught can be thrown on the frozen stream or bank and allowed to freeze. When placed in water they will actually come back to life. There was an article in one of the recent Ellsworth American’s “100 Years Ago” columns which tells of netting Tommycod by the barrel at the base of the new dam on the Union River. There were kids laying on their bellies gaffing them through the ice.”

Tommycod, not to be confused by Ocean Codfish whose largest size taken by rod and reel is some 92 lbs and by net some 226 lbs, run in size only up to 12" at maturity with many in the 8-9" range. They do look like their larger relatives in fin positions, and upper jaw, yet vary in colors with a slimmer body and smaller eyes. A Tomcod 15" in length is quite rare.

Dwayne reminded me, “Like all migratory fish, Tommycod need access to their critical spawning habitats and improperly designed culverts and dams are the main issue faced in assuring their survival. Sedimentation from landuse activities also impacts their habitats since they need crevices and unimbedded substrate to lay their eggs. This is why habitat restoration and access is a major goal of Downeast Salmon Federation.”

It seems that our “Frostfish” are quite the adaptive little fish as well. In 1929, PCB’s or polychlorinated biphenyls were introduced into the Hudson River as bywaste. They were banned 50 years later but don’t simply degrade. A 200-mile stretch of the river is now the nation’s largest Superfund site. According to a National Geographic News series on global water issues, Tommycod in this area have developed a gene that makes them immune to toxic effects of cancer-causing PCBs. This immunity distinguishes the fish as one of the world’s fastest evolving populations.

“This is a very, very rapid evolutionary change,” said Isaac Wirgin, an environmental toxicologist at New York University’s School of Medicine and the study’s lead investigator. “Normally you think of evolution occurring in thousands to millions of years. You’re talking about all this occurring in 20 to 50 generations (of fish) maybe.” It turns out the fish sport a handy modification to a gene encoding a protein known to regulate the toxific effects of PCBs and related chemicals. One can only wonder if Tommycods’ larger relatives have any genes such as this to help in their recovery and once again be the largest single fish population in the world. Then again, I doubt there is a genetic modification to greedbound idiotic politicians who’ve allowed this overfishing.

This recipe for Tomcod Stew (Bouillotte) comes from Centre de Peche, G. Marceau et Filles in Sainte-Anne-de-la-Perade, Quebec and though you might not have immediate access to Tomcod, I would not hesitate to substitute Cod filets. Quantity depends on your needs. Put some butter in a large cooking pot, or (as we do) a few thin slices of salt pork. At the bottom place a layer of sliced potatoes, then a layer of Tomcod or Cod filets followed by a layer of sliced onions. Repeat the layers up to 3 or 4 times. On top, add another piece of salt pork. Cover with water and simmer for 3 hours on the stove. Add an hour if using the oven. The cooking aroma would be reason enough just to try this. h