Maine Seafood Guide – Cusk

Maine Seafood Guide

If you are interested in recreational harvesting, please check the listed regulatory agencies for the most up-to-date status of each fishery. If you see information here that you know to be outdated, please let us know.

Shellfish recreational limits: The one peck per day limit is for a combined total regardless of species harvested. Towns may also require recreational licenses although the state does not require a license to harvest for personal consumption.

Cusk new
Cusk (Brosme brosme.)

Species Description
Species Description
Season
Status
Regulatory Authority
Harvest Method
Recreational Harvest
Health Benefits & Risks
Buying & Preparing
Brands
Certifications
Links

►Species Description

Cusk Brosme brosme
also known as tusk, torsk

Wild.

Cusk is a member of the cod family. It is a slender fish with a single long, thick dorsal fin and pectoral fins edged in black. Cusk varies in color depending on its habitat. Sluggish and weak swimmers, cusk stay near hard sea bottom in deep water, from Newfoundland to New Jersey.

►Season

Year-round.

►Status

Little is known about Gulf of Maine cusk, including stock structure. Cusk were designated by NOAA as a species of concern in 2004, and it is currently a candidate species for listing under the Endangered Species Act.

►Regulatory Authority

Cusk is not managed separately but is caught in the Northeast Multispecies (Groundfish) Fishery managed by the New England Fishery Management Council.

►Harvest Method

Cusk is not targeted by commercial fishermen, but is caught with other groundfish.

►Recreational Harvest

Cusk are occasionally caught by anglers targeting cod and haddock. There are no limits on size or number.

►Health Benefits & Risks

Cusk are similar in nutritional value to cod and haddock.

►Buying & Preparing

Ocean cusk is rare in the marketplace. A firm, white-fleshed fish good for chowders and stews, it can be substituted for halibut.

►Companies, Brands, and Labels

►Certifications & Verifications

►Links