Merlangius

The whiting is a fish from the sea. It lives in the deep, cold water. It swims over sand and mud.

This fish has a long body. Its belly is silver. It may look blue or green. It has a black spot near its fin.

People catch this fish for food. In France, they fry it. They call it an "angry whiting." This is because of its tail.

Small bugs can live on the fish. These bugs stay on its gills. This is a strange thing to see. It is a very busy fish!

The whiting is a fish found in many seas. It lives in the North Atlantic Ocean. It also lives in the Mediterranean Sea. This fish likes to swim over sand or mud. It can live in deep water.

Whiting have long bodies and small heads. Their color can be blue or green. Sometimes they look yellowish-brown. Their bellies are silver. You can see a black blotch near their side fins. They have three fins on their backs. They also have two fins on their bottom.

People catch whiting to eat. In France, they serve fried whiting in a special way. They call it "angry whiting." This is because the fish has its tail in its mouth.

Some small bugs live on these fish. One bug is a copepod. A copepod is a tiny crustacean. It clings to the gills of the fish. It grows into a shape like a worm. It even has a mass of eggs at the back.

The whiting is a very important fish for people to eat. It lives in the eastern North Atlantic Ocean. You can also find it in the northern Mediterranean Sea. It swims in the western Baltic and the Black Sea too. People call this fish whiting or merling. It is a key food source in many places. This fish helps feed many people around the world.

This fish has a very specific way it looks. It has a long body and a small head. There are three fins on its back. These fins have 30 to 40 soft rays. It also has two fins on its bottom. These have 30 to 35 soft rays. The fish might have a tiny chin barbel. Its color can be greenish or dark blue. The belly of the fish is often silvery. A black blotch sits near each side fin.

Scientists first described this fish in 1758. Carl Linnaeus gave it a name back then. François Alexandre Pierre de Garsault also helped name it. In the past, whiting was a very cheap food. People often gave it to pets or the poor. Now, people know it is a special fish. In France, they have a funny tradition. They serve fried whiting with its tail in its mouth. They call this "merlan en colère" or angry whiting.

Whiting live in many different watery places. They swim from Iceland to the Barents Sea. They live in the North Sea and Portugal. You can find them in the Adriatic Sea too. They like to live on sand or mud. They also like to swim over gravel seabeds. They can live at depths of about 100 meters. In 2014, they were called vulnerable in the Baltic Sea. This means we must watch over them closely.

Sometimes, tiny living things live on the whiting. These are called parasites. One type is the cod worm. This is a small crustacean called a copepod. It clings to the gills of the fish. It grows into a shape like a worm. It even grows a mass of eggs at the back. This is like a tiny passenger on the fish. These small creatures are part of the fish's life.

The whiting, known scientifically as Merlangius merlangus, is a significant marine fish. It is a major food source in several large bodies of water. These include the eastern North Atlantic Ocean and the northern Mediterranean Sea. You can also find them in the western Baltic and the Black Sea. In many English-speaking countries, the name "whiting" is used for other fish species too. However, Merlangius merlangus is a specific type of fish within the Gadidae family.

This fish has a very specific physical structure. Its body is long, while its head remains quite small. It features three dorsal fins located on its back. These dorsal fins contain a total of 30 to 40 soft rays. On its underside, the fish has two anal fins. These anal fins possess between 30 and 35 soft rays. A very small chin barbel may sometimes be present on the head. A notable marking is a black blotch near the base of each pectoral fin.

The coloring of a whiting can vary depending on the environment. The main body color might be yellowish-brown, greenish, or even dark blue. The sides, or flanks, are often yellowish-grey or white. The belly of the fish is typically silvery in appearance. These colors help the fish blend into its surroundings. Because of these traits, the fish is well-suited to its various habitats.

Whiting live in a wide range of locations across Europe. Their native range starts from Iceland and the southeastern Barents Sea. They extend down through Scandinavia and the North Sea to Portugal. They are also found in the Aegean and Adriatic Seas. These fish prefer to live on seabeds made of sand, mud, or gravel. They can be found at depths reaching about 100 meters. In 2014, they were classified as vulnerable in the Baltic Sea.

Humans have used this fish for many different purposes over time. Until the late 20th century, whiting was considered a very cheap food. It was often eaten by the poor or used to feed pets. Today, how the fish is caught matters for its quality. Industrial trawling and gutting can damage the delicate flesh. This process can also cause the fish to lose the sheen of its scales. Angling outside of the spawning season is a better way to preserve these features.

There are many interesting cultural connections to the whiting. In France, a traditional dish is called "merlan en colère." This translates to "angry whiting." In this dish, the fried fish is served with its tail in its mouth. The fish is often served on a bed of fried parsley. There is also a historical link to French wigmakers. They were sometimes called "merlan" because of a specific reason. The way flour was used on whiting looked like the powder used on wigs.

Biological life also includes the parasites that affect the whiting. Many species in the Gadidae family deal with these tiny organisms. One specific example is the cod worm, known as Lernaeocera branchialis. This is a type of copepod, which is a small crustacean. The parasite clings directly to the gills of the fish. It then undergoes a metamorphosis into a wormlike body. This body becomes plump and sinusoidal in shape. At the rear, the parasite grows a coiled mass of egg strings.