The US Geological Survey's Board on Geographic Names registers the importance of cod, haddock, and halibut to Mainers:
There is a COD COVE just east of Wiscasset along Route 1; COD LEDGE between Swans Island and Isle au Haut; COD LEDGES (plural) just west of Winter Harbor; CODHEAD LEDGE in eastern Englishman Bay, just off Machias; and TOM COD COVE off Castine.
The highest concentration of cod-named places is east of Cape Elizabeth in Casco Bay, where boaters can find EAST COD LEDGE, EAST COD LEDGE ROCK, WEST COD LEDGE, and (surprise!) WEST COD LEDGE ROCK. (Also the COD ROCKS are on a point of land in the Sprague estate in Cape Elizabeth.)
There's HADDOCK ISLAND in Muscongus Bay (off which are HADDOCK ISLAND KELP LEDGE and HADDOCK ISLAND LEDGE). Three places are called HADDOCK LEDGE — west of Isle au Haut, off Lincolnville, and southwest of Matinic Island. There's a HADDOCK ROCK off the end of Harpswell Neck; HALIBUT HOLE west of Winter Harbor (and barely north of Cod Ledges); HALIBUT LEDGE southeast of Vinalhaven; HALIBUT ROCK in the Muscle Ridge Islands off South Thomaston; two places called HALIBUT ROCKS — south of Popham Beach, and west of Swans Island (which also has a WEST HALIBUT ROCK nearby); and WEST HALIBUT LEDGES where Isle au Haut Bay meets East Penobscot Bay
Also, don't forget CODFISH RIDGE way up in Aroostook County, between Houlton and Millinocket.
If you want to see a map of all of these places, point your fishing boat's browser to tinyurl.com/MaineFishPlaceNames.
>> READ: "Groundfishing in New England faces a bleak present and an uncertain future" by Deirdre Fulton <<
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