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FISH GUIDE · Sea

Saithe: identification, habitat and fishing guide

Pollachius virens

Saithe are not sought in quite the same way as fish holding close to one rock. Their shoaling, open-water life suggests finding an active layer and then repeating the lure’s path. Young fish may inhabit the coast; encountering a small saithe does not prove an adult shoal is in the same place.

Catalogue names : Saithe. Forms and names may vary between habitats.

Editorial review : · This species guide is not permission to fish. Read the precautions below and check the current rules for your location before targeting a species. Some species or populations are protected.

Geographical distribution

Found in the North Atlantic: in the east from the Bay of Biscay to northern Norway and Iceland; in the west from North Carolina to Greenland according to DORIS.

  • Documented presence : Northeast Atlantic
  • Documented presence : Northwest Atlantic
  • Documented presence : Bay of Biscay

Documented areas, not an exhaustive list. Presence in a region does not imply presence in every water body or permission to fish.

Distribution sources

Identification

Pollachius virens has a pale, generally straight lateral line, a dark back and a silver belly. Pollack have a dark, curved lateral line. Look at the whole flank before recording the species; a partial photograph of the head or a simple impression of colour may lead to confusion.

Habitat

In France, the context mainly concerns northern Atlantic coasts, the Channel and the North Sea. Adults use open water and may frequent the vicinity of wrecks; young fish occur nearer the shore. A bottom feature serves here as a search landmark without requiring you to fish directly over it.

Diet

Larger fish mainly eat small fish; coastal juveniles take animal plankton and small crustaceans, among other prey.

Behaviour

Adults eat small fish and other marine prey, among other foods. A shoal may move between passes. After contact, compare angle and depth; search for the layer again instead of concluding that a missed fish has permanently emptied the whole area.

Indicative biological size

Around 60 cm total length is listed as common by FishBase; this biological reference is not a legal size limit.

Fishing context and precautions

  1. Choose an area of clear water next to a bottom-feature landmark.
  2. Rig a small shad straight on a jighead, or use a metal jig compatible with your tackle.
  3. Lower it while keeping the line visible, then retrieve steadily through the chosen layer without seeking the bottom by default.
  4. After a bite, maintain steady tension. On the next pass, repeat the descent, then explore a neighbouring level if contacts stop.

A distinctive feature

The inside of its mouth is black, a feature noted in the species’ natural-history description.

Sources and review

Each reference includes its access date. Overall editorial review: . Local conditions and regulations may change.

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