LING | The Ling is a long and narrow fish. The anal fin is from the anal to the tail fin. The Ling has two dorsal fins, the one in front is short, and the one at the back is long. The pectoral fins reach to the middle of the first dorsal fin. The ventral fins are far back under its belly, and they are narrow and have around the same lenght as the pectoral fins. The tail is rounded. The white stripe is straight. The head is long and narrow. The Ling has a big jaw with big and sharp teeth, and it has a small overbite. The fin is longer than the width of the eye. The Ling is evidently not gregarious and it does not make long-distance migrations.

SIZE | The ling can grow to become 150 – 180 centimeters long. It rarely becomes 200 cm long.

DEPTH | The Ling swims in deep waters. Big Lings are at 600 meters depth, and the small fish are mostly at 30 meters depth.

COLOUR | The Ling is mostly light grey at the back with an inch of bronze colour or bronze green above. Distinctly marbled, lighter below, dark spot at hind edge of both dorsal fins. Most fish have a dark spot at the back of the dorsal fins and on the anal fin. The tail and the dorsal fins are dark edged, and the anal fins are white-edged.

CHARACTERISTICS | The edges on the fins and the tail, the long and narrow shape of the fish and the small overbite are some characteristics of the Ling.

FOOD | Mostly fishes, also crustaceans and starfish.

REPRODUCTION | From March to July, between 50 – 300 meters.

WHERE TO CATCH IT | The Ling breeds in the North Atlantic from western Barents Sea, Iceland, Skagerrak and Kattegat to Gibraltar, also western Mediterranean (rare). Elsewhere, western North Atlantic (rare). See the map below.