Fish - Cod
Cod is a finite marine Food resource in Age of Empires III. A cod node has 100 hit points and yields 500 Food; the species entry recommends one fisherman for gathering it.
Resource amount & access
Fishing Boats can gather cod in open water and return Food to a Dock; a Villager can work fish only in shallow water beside the coast. A fish node is not a herdable unit: it does not flee or fight back, and it is depleted as workers gather its stock. Fishing Boats also occupy population and wood investment, so the value of a cod shoal depends on whether the water can support sustained gathering.
Map scouting & economy
Use cod as a map-provided Food source when naval access is safe and the land economy needs workers for Wood or Coin. Scout the coast before investing in several boats, then protect the fishing area from warships and raids. Keep an alternate Food plan ready for when the 500-Food node is exhausted; farming or hunting can take over according to the map and civilization.
A finite offshore Food source
A Cod school contains 500 Food and has 100 hit points in the resource data. Fishing Boats can gather from it in open water; Villagers can work fish only in shallow water beside a shore. The hit points describe the map resource object rather than a boat's health. Once gathered, the Food is gone, so the school should be treated like a finite hunt with a water route rather than renewable income. Boats also need a Dock and population, making the value of a school depend on how safely and efficiently they can work it.
Deciding whether to fish
Cod is useful when a safe shoal can keep Food coming while land Villagers gather Wood or Coin, but a few boats are not worthwhile if hostile ships can interrupt them immediately. Scout the coastline, count the available fish and locate the nearest alternate Food source before investing in a large fishing fleet. Move boats when one node is exhausted, and avoid leaving them idle at a school that has little stock remaining. Map generation determines whether the resource appears and how exposed its route is.