Zusammenfassung: The authors show that spatially uniform changes in abundance can affect catchability given certain models for the distribution of fishing effort, but that this effect is slight compared with the effect of changes in the spatial spread of fish distribution. An index of distribution is described that depends only on spatial spread: the minimum area over which a specified percentage of the population is spread. We tested the density dependence of this index using data on Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence. Results depended on the percentage of the population for which the index was evaluated. The area containing most (90 or 95%) of the population was density dependent, expanding as population size increased. The area of highest cod concentration (i.e., the area containing 50% of the population) did not expand significantly as population size increased.