Whiting

Whiting, Merlangius melangus

Pencil on paper

Artist: Alex Read

Norway pout

Whiting, sometimes called merling, is an attractive fish in the family of cod-like fish called Gadiformes. At maturity it is around thirty centimetres long, although they have been recorded up to ninety centimetres. It lives in the north-east Atlantic ocean, although can be found as far as the Black sea and Mediterranean.  Historically, whiting has been seen as a ‘cheap’ fish and has been a bycatch, with up to eighty per cent thrown away. However, it has been recognised as a vulnerable species and should only be eaten when caught using sustainable methods.  It’s nice so they nearly named it twice, were it not for an errant ‘I’, much like these descriptions. Must do better.

About the artist:

I tried to draw quickly, so it is quite sketchy, but looks pleasingly in motion, like it’s just turning a corner to race towards you. I don’t think I captured the interesting patterned scales very well, however.

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