Taxonomy
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Actinopterygii
- Order
- Perciformes
- Family
- Gadidae
- Genus
- Micromesistius
- Species
- poutassou
Habitat
Blue whiting primarily inhabit the pelagic zones of the North Atlantic Ocean, including the Norwegian Sea and Barents Sea, at depths from 100 to 1,000 meters over continental shelves. They prefer cold to temperate waters and often form large schools in open ocean areas.
Diet
Blue whiting feed mainly on small fish like herring larvae, krill, and other zooplankton. They exhibit nocturnal feeding behavior, rising to shallower waters at night to hunt.
Behavior
Blue whiting are highly schooling fish that form large, dense aggregations for protection and feeding. They are primarily nocturnal, migrating vertically in the water column during the day to deeper areas and rising at night. They also undertake seasonal migrations for spawning and feeding grounds.
Conservation Status
Listed as Not Evaluated by IUCN.