Details
Pollachius virens
A large North Atlantic cod relative with a dark back and powerful schooling movements from rocky coasts to offshore shelves.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
Found in cold waters around Norway, Britain, Iceland, Greenland, and northeastern North America, using rocky coasts and continental shelves.
The body is streamlined, dark green to nearly black above and silvery below. A pale straight lateral line is conspicuous.
Young fish gather around coastal rocks, while adults travel widely in offshore schools and pursue prey actively.
It eats small fish, krill, and crustaceans, often hunting herring, sandeels, and similar prey in groups.
Spawning takes place offshore from winter into spring. Eggs and larvae drift before juveniles enter coastal areas.
Saithe is an important European whitefish, also called coalfish, and is used fresh, smoked, and processed.
