| Merlangius merlangus | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Gadiformes |
| Family: | Gadidae |
| Genus: | Merlangius Garsault, 1764 |
| Species: | M. merlangus |
| Binomial name | |
| Merlangius merlangus | |
| Synonyms | |
Merlangius merlangus, commonly known aswhiting ormerling, is an important food fish in the eastern NorthAtlantic Ocean and the northernMediterranean, westernBaltic, andBlack Sea. InAnglophonic countries outside the whiting's natural range, the name "whiting" has been applied to various otherspecies of fish.
Merlangius merlangus has three dorsal fins with a total of 30 to 40 soft rays and two anal fins with 30 to 35 soft rays. The body is long and the head small and a chin barbel, if present, is very small. This fish can reach a maximum length of about 70 centimetres (27+1⁄2 inches). The colour may be yellowish-brown, greenish or dark blue, the flanks yellowish grey or white and the belly silvery. There is a distinctive black blotch near the base of each pectoral fin.[2]
Whiting are native to the northeastern Atlantic Ocean. Their range extends from the southeasternBarents Sea and Iceland to Scandinavia, theBaltic Sea, theNorth Sea, Portugal, theBlack Sea, theAegean Sea, theAdriatic Sea and parts of theMediterranean Sea. They occur on sand, mud and gravel seabeds at depths down to about 100 metres (300 feet; 50 fathoms).[2]
In 2014, theirconservation status was classified atvulnerable in the Baltic Sea.[3]
Until the late 20th century, whiting was a cheap fish, regarded as food for the poor or forpets.[4] The general decline in fish stocks means it is now more highly valued. The other fish that have been given the name whiting are mostly also edible fish. Several species of the drum, or croaker, family (Sciaenidae) are also called whiting, among them thenorthern kingfish (Menticirrhus saxatilis).
Whiting and related otherGadidae species are plagued by parasites. These include the cod worm (Lernaeocera branchialis), acopepod crustacean that clings to thegills of the fish and metamorphoses into a plump,sinusoidal, wormlike body, with a coiled mass of egg strings at the rear.
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