Occurs mainly on rocky bottoms in fairly deep water (Ref. 9988). Found more commonly from 100 to 400 m. Feeds on fish (cod, herring, flatfish), lobsters, cephalopods and starfishes. Principal spawning areas are Biscay, slopes west of the British Isles and off the Faeroes and southern Iceland (Ref. 35388). Marketed fresh, dried or salted and frozen; eaten steamed, fried, broiled and baked (Ref. 9988).

 Molva molva is the largest fish of the cod family, growing up to 200 cm in length and 30 kg in weight. Both its head and eyes are small and the upper jaw projects beyond the lower. The lower jaw bears a distinct sensory barbel. Unlike most other cod species, Molva molva has two instead of three dorsal fins. The first dorsal fin is short with 14-15 fin rays; the second is considerably longer and has 61-68 fin rays. The elongate anal fin has 58-64 fin rays. This species has between 63-65 vertebrae. The caudal peduncal and the pelvic fins are short, the latter not extending beyond the pectoral fins. It is marbelled greenish-brown on its upper surface becoming lighter on its flanks and underside. The anal and dorsal fins have a distinct white edge and bear a dark spot at the rear. However this spot is more conspicuous on the first dorsal fin. Juveniles tend to be lighter in colour often having pale purpleish irridescent lines.Spawning occurs offshore between March and August at a depth of 100-300 m. The females produce between 20-60 million pelagic eggs ca.1 mm in diameter. Each egg contains a single pale green oil globule, which enables them to stay in the upper layers of the water column to develop and eventually hatch after about 10 days. The fry of Molva molva have a downward faced head and the paired fins are both long (Dipper, 1984). Juvniles stay in coastal waters until the 2-3 years of age (Dipper, 2001; Wheeler, 1969). Growth is initially rapid: up to 20 cm long in the first year; 35 cm in the second; 55 cm in the third and up to 83 cm in the forth year. Subsequent annual growth is between 8-10 cm until the ninth year. Females invariably grow faster and live longer than males. Females reach maturity at 90-100 cm or 6-8 years of age and can live up to 14 years. Males reach maturity at ca. 80 cm and rarely live over 10 years of age (Wheeler, 1969). 

Molva molva primarily feeds on other fish such as Trisopterus esmarkii, Gadus gadus, Clupea harengus and flat fish, and invertebrates such as crustaceans and starfish may also be consumed, but more likely by the inshore juveniles. This species is commercially fished using longlines and trawls around western Scotland. It is salted and dried as klipfisk and then exported to southern Europe (Muus & Dahlstrom, 1974; Wheeler, 1969). Molva molva maybe mistaken for Merluccius merluccius, although this species does not have a barbel. There are two other Molva species: Molva dypterygia and Molva macrophthalma with the former present only in UK waters. Molva molva can be distinguished from Molva dypterygia by its barbel being longer than the eye, and by having 59 to 70 second dorsal fin rays, whereas Molva dypterygia has 69 to 83 rays (Muus & Dahlstrom, 1974).

The ling is a long, slender bodied fish with a distinctive single barbel on the chin. It has two dorsal fins, the first fin is short and rounded in outline whilst the second is long and of uniform height. There is a dark spot on the rear side of both dorsal fins. Adult fish are usually silvery-cream in colour with brownish-green mottling on the back and flanks. Juvenile fish have a yellowish-olive coloration with lilac-blue irridescent mottling. Ling can grow to 2.2m in length but most are between 1-1.5m. Small ling may sometimes be confused with rocklings however the ling has only one barbel on its chin whereas rocklings have several.

Belgian Coast, Belgian Exclusive Economic Zone, European waters (ERMS scope), Irish Exclusive economic Zone, North West Atlantic, Portuguese Exclusive Economic Zone, Scotland, Spanish Exclusive Economic Zone, Swedish Exclusive Economic Zone, United Kingdom Exclusive Economic Zone, Wimereux

Northwest Atlantic: off southern Greenland and Canada. Northeast Atlantic: Barents Sea and Iceland to Morocco. Mediterranean Sea: northwestern Mediterranean only.

Atlantic: Barents Sea and Iceland to Morocco; rare in the Northwestern Mediterranean, off southern Greenland, and Canada.

United States

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Year-round

Western Baltic Sea, North Sea, Western Mediterranean Sea [rare], North Atlantic.

Ling are fairly common around the south-west of Britain, and western coasts of Ireland and Scotland. So far it has not been recorded from the Irish Sea coasts, the eastern side of the English Channel or the east coast of England.

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 75 - 83; Analsoft rays: 58 - 64; Vertebrae: 63 - 65

Maximum size: 2000 mm TL

200 cm TL (male/unsexed; (Ref. 1371)); max. published weight: 45.0 kg (Ref. 35388); max. reported age: 25 years (Ref. 35388)

Upper jaw projecting beyond lower one. Color is reddish brown dorsally, grading to white ventrally. The posterior areas of the vertical fins dark with pale margins. The sides distinctly marbled (Ref. 232). Barbel is present in the chin, longer than the diameter of the eye. Black spot in the rear end of the first dorsal fin. Caudal peduncle stout compared to blue ling (Ref. 35388).

demersal; oceanodromous (Ref. 51243); marine; depth range 100 - 1000 m (Ref. 35388), usually 100 - 400 m (Ref. 35388)

benthic

Occasionally found in Canadian Atlantic waters. Found mainly at depths of 100- 400 m, on rocky bottoms.

Depth range based on 8297 specimens in 1 taxon.
Water temperature and chemistry ranges based on 7262 samples.

Environmental ranges
  Depth range (m): -9 - 800
  Temperature range (°C): 6.400 - 11.896
  Nitrate (umol/L): 1.737 - 13.013
  Salinity (PPS): 31.839 - 35.587
  Oxygen (ml/l): 5.262 - 6.584
  Phosphate (umol/l): 0.262 - 0.880
  Silicate (umol/l): 1.488 - 10.823

Graphical representation

Depth range (m): -9 - 800

Temperature range (°C): 6.400 - 11.896

Nitrate (umol/L): 1.737 - 13.013

Salinity (PPS): 31.839 - 35.587

Oxygen (ml/l): 5.262 - 6.584

Phosphate (umol/l): 0.262 - 0.880

Silicate (umol/l): 1.488 - 10.823
 
Note: this information has not been validated. Check this *note*. Your feedback is most welcome.

Habitat Type: Marine

 Molva molva is a deep water species found at depths up to 600 meters but juveniles and occasionally adults are found as shallow as 10 meters. This species is primarily solitary and benthic, lurking amongst rocks, crevices and wrecks in deep water.

Depth: 15 - 600m.
From 15 to 600 meters.

Habitat: demersal.

Ling are usually encountered by divers in crevices or ledges in rocky cliffs at depths below 10m. Their diet consists mainly of smaller fish although they also eat crustaceans and some echinoderms.

Oceanodromous. Migrating within oceans typically between spawning and different feeding areas, as tunas do. Migrations should be cyclical and predictable and cover more than 100 km.

Non-Migrant: No. All populations of this species make significant seasonal migrations.

Locally Migrant: No. No populations of this species make local extended movements (generally less than 200 km) at particular times of the year (e.g., to breeding or wintering grounds, to hibernation sites).

Locally Migrant: No. No populations of this species make annual migrations of over 200 km.

Evidently not gregarious and does not undergo long-distance migrations. Immature found inshore, in 15-20 m, over rocks. Feeds mostly on fishes (gadoids, herring, flatfishes), also crustaceans, starfish (Ref. 3663).

Major spawning grounds are located at 200 m depth from the Bay of Biscay to the Gulf of Norway at 100 to 300 m off southern Iceland, and at 50 to 300 m in the Mediterranean Sea. Fecundity may reach 20 to 60 million eggs per female (Ref. 1371).

The following is a representative barcode sequence, the centroid of all available sequences for this species.


No available public DNA sequences.

Download FASTA File

Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLDS) Stats
Public Records: 1
Specimens with Barcodes: 10
Species With Barcodes: 1

United States

Rounded National Status Rank: NNR - Unranked

Rounded Global Status Rank: GNR - Not Yet Ranked

Not Evaluated

fisheries: highly commercial; gamefish: yes; price category: low; price reliability: reliable: based on ex-vessel price for this species