Ling

A slender, elongated gadiform fish reaching up to 2 metres in length, it favours deep rocky and hard-substrate habitats on the continental shelf and slope, typically between 100 and 400 metres depth, where it hunts other fish and large invertebrates near the seabed. Divers and underwater observers should watch for the distinctive single long second dorsal fin and anal fin running most of the body length, combined with a mottled brownish-green coloration and pale underside, often resting motionless close to rocky outcrops or wrecks. It is most reliably encountered by deep-water anglers or remotely operated camera surveys over rough ground in the North Atlantic, with commercial fishing records suggesting year-round presence, though spawning aggregations over offshore banks in spring may concentrate individuals and improve encounter rates.