Head to head
Whiting vs Haddock
Whiting
VS Haddock
The whiting and the haddock are two small cod relatives of the north-eastern Atlantic that share sandy and gravelly bottoms and are often sold side by side.
| Whiting | Haddock | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Merlangius merlangus | Melanogrammus aeglefinus |
| Relationship | A fellow member of the cod family | A fellow member of the cod family |
| Chin barbel | None, and the upper jaw projects slightly beyond the lower | A small barbel on the chin, like a cod |
| Markings | A small dark spot at the base of each pectoral fin, on a sandy to olive-brown body that is silvery-white below | A clear, dark, roughly circular blotch above and behind each pectoral fin, a darker back, silvery-grey sides, and a black lateral line |
| Size | Usually 25 to 40 cm long, though larger fish occur | A larger fish than the whiting |
| Diet | Shrimps, crabs, and worms when young, and small fish such as sand eels and sprats as it grows | Worms, molluscs, brittle stars, and crustaceans found on or near the sea floor, along with small fish |
| Young fish | Young whiting often shelter among the tentacles of large jellyfish | Demersal, bottom-dwelling fish over sand, gravel, or mud bottoms of the continental shelf |
| Conservation status | Least Concern, with some stocks managed with quotas | Least Concern, after serious overfishing in parts of the western North Atlantic led to catch limits and recovery |
Whiting vs Haddock: common questions
How can you tell a whiting from a haddock?
The haddock has a dark thumbprint blotch above each pectoral fin and a black lateral line, while the whiting has no chin barbel and only a small dark spot at the base of each pectoral fin.
Which one has a chin barbel?
The haddock has a small chin barbel, whereas the whiting has none.
What is the legend of the haddock thumbprint?
In some folklore, the dark blotch above the haddock's pectoral fin is the fingerprint left by Saint Peter when he pulled a haddock from the Sea of Galilee.