Learn how to catch more fish in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Ocean City, Virginia, North Carolina, Outer Banks, South Carolina, Georgia, & Florida!

Whiting
Merlangius merlangus
"Pollock, Kingfish, Silver Hake "

Description:The body of the Whiting is long and laterally slightly flat. The upper jaw is visibly projected. Under the tip of the chin, there is a small worm-like barbel. There are three dorsal and two anal fins. The first anal fin is significantly longer than the other one; it begins under the first dorsal fin's base. The ventral fins are anterior to the pectoral ones and are under the operculum. The caudal fin is cut in a straight line. The scales are tiny. The back is greyish-green to grey-yellowish or olive-brown. The sides are yellowish and the belly white. There is a dark spot on the base of the pectoral fins.

Similar Fish: Cod

Where Found:Northeast Atlantic: southeastern Barents Sea and Iceland to Portugal, also in the Black Sea, Aegean Sea, Adriatic Sea and adjacent areas. Rare in the northwestern Mediterranean. Whiting is a bathi-pelagic species, living in shallow water up to 200 m, but mostly from 30 to 100 m
Size:1-3 lbs. (average)

State Record:2 lb. 8 oz. by Grace Walker on October 1, 1975

World Record:4.51 pound by Erik Callahan on August 8, 1995

Bait used:Bloodworms, shrimp, fresh clam strips and strips of fresh cut fish

Tactics to catch: "The basic terminal tackle used is a 1-3 ounce pyramid sinker tied to the end of the line with an Improved Clinch Knot, with one or two drop loops tied starting about 12-15 inches above the weight. I tie the drops so that the resulting loop is about 8 inches in diameter. Then using my thumb and index finger. I compress the loop where it meets the main line and flatten the loop between my fingers by running them down the loop. Once I've found the true end of the loop I tie a smaller 2 inch diameter loop and run the end of this loop through the eye of the size one hook I'm using. I then put the end of the loop over the entire hook and pull the knot tight. This rig will do just fine for pompano and whiting." (4)

Climate:Silver hake apparently prefer temperatures between 44.6 and 51.8°F (7 and 11°C) in the summer and fall, and 44.6 and 55.4°F (7 and 13°C) in the spring

Spawning habits:Bottom habitats of all substrate types in teh Gulf of Maine, on Georges Bank, the continental shelf off southern New England, and the middle Atlantic south to Cape Hatteras. Generally, the following conditions exist whre most spawning whiting adults are found: water temperatures below 13 degrees C and depths between 30 and 325 meters.

Table food? Utilized fresh, dried or salted, smoked and frozen; eaten steamed, broiled and baked

Consumption Concerns:Mercury concentration below detection level

Feeding habits:Shrimps, crabs, mollusks, small fish, polychaetes and cephalopods.

Remarks:It was a cheap fish, regarded as food for the poor or for pets, but the general decline in fish stocks means that it is now more highly valued.

References:
Wikipedia
Fish Base
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Dean Pettit's TITUSVILLE OUTDOORS

(4)
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~frf/sea-mehg.html

Whiting Merlangius merlangus "Pollock, Kingfish, Silver Hake "

Whiting
Merlangius merlangus
"Pollock, Kingfish, Silver Hake "