Species

Whiting

A small, slender member of the cod family with a protruding upper jaw, very common in the North Sea and western Baltic Sea and a popular food fish.

Merlangius merlangus

Photo: Ecomare/Oscar Bos, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, adjusted to 3:2

Spawning: Depending on the population in spring or all year round, the eggs are released into open water (general guide, varies by region)
German Red List: not threatened
Typical method: Surf fishing
Top bait: Lugworm

Plan a day fishing for Whiting

How to recognise it

Elongated, slightly laterally compressed body with a small head
Clearly protruding upper jaw; the small chin barbel disappears in adults
Often a dark spot at the base of the pectoral fin; three dorsal and two anal fins

Easily confused with: Can be confused with young cod or with the pollack: the cod has a clear chin barbel, the pollack a protruding lower jaw and no dark spot at the pectoral fin.

How to catch it

Methods: Surf fishing, Paternoster fishing from a charter boat, Bottom fishing from piers

Baits: Lugworm, Ragworm, Fish strips, Small pirk with teaser

In the surf mainly in autumn and winter, preferably at dusk and at night.

Habitat and food

Northeast Atlantic from the Barents Sea and Iceland to Portugal, the North Sea, Kattegat and western Baltic Sea, plus the northern Mediterranean and the Black Sea. Prefers open water over muddy ground at 30 to 100 m depth; larvae and juveniles live near the coast close to jellyfish (Wikipedia).

Crustaceans, molluscs, fish and worms (Wikipedia); FishBase lists shrimps, crabs, molluscs, small fish, bristle worms and cephalopods.

Size and age

Usually 30 to 40 cm, up to 70 cm and up to 3 kg, females grow larger; life expectancy on average 10, at most 20 years (Wikipedia). FishBase: max. 91.5 cm, common length 23.5 cm, max. published weight 3.1 kg, max. reported age 20 years.

Protection and rules

Conservation status: German Red List (marine fish 2025): not threatened, population very common, clear short-term increase. HELCOM lists whiting as vulnerable for the Baltic Sea as a whole, in the German part of the Baltic it is considered not threatened. IUCN: not threatened (Least Concern, 2013).

Whiting: closed season and minimum size by German state

Schleswig-Holsteinminimum size 27 cm (coast)minimum size 23 cm (coast)

From the official state fisheries regulations, retrieved 2026-10-11. All rules by state

Check the rules

Closed seasons and minimum sizes are set by each German state and can be stricter for single waters. All rules by state, with the legal source

In the kitchen

Tastes similar to cod with slightly firmer flesh; smaller size means less fillet per fish (Wikipedia). Good pan-fried or breaded.

Sources (3)

Last checked 2026-10-13. Found a mistake? Write to [email protected].

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