[1] It is a bottom-dwelling fish and is found on the continental shelf in the Arctic Ocean and northwestern Atlantic Ocean, its range extending from Alaska to West Greenland, then southwards along the Canadian coast to the Gulf of St. Lawrence and Cape Breton Island.

It is a commercially harvested food fish,[2][3] but landings have been greatly reduced in recent years.

[4] In colour the Greenland cod is generally sombre, ranging from tan to brown to silvery.

Its appearance is similar to that of other cod species; generally heavy-bodied, elongate, usually with a stout caudal peduncle.

[2] They are bottom fishes inhabiting inshore waters and continental shelves, up to depths of 200 m. Their range covers the Arctic Ocean and Northwest Atlantic Ocean from Alaska to West Greenland, then south along the Canadian coast to the Gulf of St. Lawrence and Cape Breton Island generally from 45 to 75 degrees north.