Ling

Ling (Molva vulgaris), a fish of the family Gadidae, abundant on most parts of the British coasts, and elsewhere throughout the northern seas, and in value almost rivalling the cod. In form it is much more elongated than the cod, and even more than the hake, with which it agrees in having two dorsal fins and one anal fin, the anal and second dorsal long; but it differs from the hake in having a barbel below the chin, and teeth of unequal size on the jaws and vomer. The ling is generally three or four feet long, sometimes more, and has been known to weigh seventy pounds. The colour is gray, inclining to olive, the belly silvery, the fins edged with white. The tail-fin is rounded. The gape is large, and the mouth well furnished with teeth. The ling is a very voracious fish, feeding chiefly on smaller fishes. It is also very prolific, and deposits its spawn in June; the ova, as usual in the Gadidae, are pelagic. It is found chiefly where the bottom of the sea is rocky. Great numbers are caught in the same manner as cod, by hand-lines and long lines, on the coasts of England, Scotland, the Orkney and Shetland Islands, &c.; considerable numbers are also taken by the trawl. Most of them are split from head to tail, cleaned, salted in brine, washed, dried in the sun, and sent to the market in the form of Stock-fish. They are largely exported to Spain and other countries. The air-bladders or sounds are pickled like those of cod. The liver also yields an oil similar to cod-liver oil, which is used for the supply of lamps in Shetland and elsewhere. Two other species of Molva from the coasts of Europe have been described.