Identification
The blue whiting is a slender, elongated gadoid of 20 to 40 cm (maximum 50 cm). Silvery-grey body with a blue-green back and silvery-white belly. Lower jaw protrudes beyond the upper. Characteristic three dorsal fins and two anal fins, typical for cod family, but without chin barbel.
Ecology
Lives in the water column at 100 to 600 meters, forming enormous shoals of sometimes millions. Feeds eagerly on krill, small crustaceans, and fish larvae. An important prey species for cod, hake, and marine mammals.
In the Netherlands
Found in the North Sea and northeastern Atlantic. One of the most caught fish species in the world, processed mainly into fishmeal and surimi.
