The distribution of Atlantic Cod includes all waters overlying the continental shelf throughout the Northwest and Northeast Atlantic Ocean. In the northeast, Atlantic Cod range from the North Sea to the Barents Sea off Norway and northern Russia. They also occur in the strait separating Scandinavia from Denmark and in the south Baltic Sea. In the west, the Canadian range includes the east coast from Georges Bank and the Bay of Fundy, along the Scotian shelf, throughout the Gulf of St. Lawrence, around Newfoundland, and along the east coast of Labrador and southern Baffin Bay, Nunavut. Four populations are recognized in Canada; Newfoundland and Labrador, Laurentian, Maritimes and the Arctic.

The Atlantic Cod have a streamlined body shape typical of fish that are able to swim at moderate speeds over long distances. Their colouration varies between black, brown and red. They have three dorsal fins and two anal fins. Their size at maturity ranges between 45 and 55 cm although the maximum size measured was 157 cm (Ogac Lake, Baffin Island, Nunavut).