WHITIXG. 



491 



])ei'sons row out to fish for Whiting whose nicnns ren- 

 der it a (juestion more of pleasure than of profit. 



The Whiting, like all its near relatives, is a fish- 

 of-prey, and may well be regarded as the boldest and 

 most voracious of them all, especiall}' if we take its 

 smaller size into consideration. It lives exclusively by 

 prey, attacking not onh' feeble victims, such as crusta- 

 ceans and worms, but pi'incipally small fishes. The 

 Herring especially attracts its attention. When large 

 shoals of Herrings enter the island-belts, the Whiting 

 collect and continually annoy this weak and defenceless 

 fish. The movements of tiie Whiting are fairly quick 

 when in the act of seizing its prey, but at other times 

 it swims slowly, seldom lying still on the watch for 

 some victim, but roving steadily about, letting nothing 

 escape its notice that may serve as food. Though 

 several specimens may often be seen in company, the 

 Whiting does not lead a sociable life, and does not 

 assemble in large shoals even during the spa^vning- 

 season. It is no great Avanderer, but stays all the year 

 round in the neighbourhood of its birthplace and the 

 places that it knows. It prefers fairly deep Avater with 

 a soft, sandy Ijottom, and is seldom caught on a rocky 

 bottom, except where small patches of sand occur. The 

 ordinary depth at which the Whiting may be found 

 during the whole summer, is between 12 and 1(3 fa- 

 thoms. Towards autumn it ascends into shallower 

 \\'ater, and in the month of October the fry and the 

 smaller specimens haunt the shore and the piers at a 

 depth of no more than a foot. Like the Cod it some- 

 times enters large rivers, at least where there is a 

 layer of salt or brackish water at the bottom; and Malm 

 states that in the River Gotha the Whiting goes up to 

 Rising Bridge, and is often caught by boys fishing at 

 Stora Bommen Bridge in Gothenburg. 



About Christmas the ovaries and milt-sacs begin 

 to develop, and in February they have generally reached 

 tiieir full size; but the spawning takes place later in 

 the year, though the season varies considerablj'. In 

 April one may find some fish that have spawned, others 

 that are ready to spawn, and others still with hard roe. 

 The Whiting does not spawn in so large companies as 

 many other species, especially most fresh-water fishes, 

 but i-etires quietly out of sight into deep water, so 

 that we have no trustworthy information on tliis point. 

 However, what we have now learnt of the sjiaAvning 

 of the Cod and of the development of its eggs floating 

 in the sea, pi-obablv applies on the whole to the spawn- 



ing and tlie early stages of the Whiting as well. Earlv 

 in tile summer the eggs are hatched, and tlie fry may 

 then be seen assembled in fairly great miniber under 

 the large jelly-fish (Ci/anea caplllata), in which the sea 

 abounds. Thus the fry of the Whiting, like those of 

 the Cod and other fishes, fl}' for shelter to these crea- 

 tures, and feed upon the crustaceans which live as 

 parasites in the body of the jelly-fish or adhere to its 

 long, filiform, and slimy tentacles. During the sum- 

 mer it is useless to look for the fry' close in shore, 

 and small Whiting from 10 to 12 cm. long may often 

 be seen keeping close to a jelly-fish for hours, follow- 

 ing its sluggish movements in a manrKM- that seems to 

 indicate a certain intimacy and mutual confidence be- 

 tween these strangely-assorted companions. From this 

 fact ignorant fishermen draw the false conclusion that 

 the Wliiting "is generated" in tiie jelly-fish and reared 

 by them. 



At first the fry grow pretty ra])idly, being between 

 10 and 12 cm. long when they make their way to the 

 shallows in October. Some fishermen are of the opi- 

 nion that the Whiting is capable of reproducing its 

 species in its second year; but no decisive proof of 

 this is procurable, and the assertion is positively con- 

 tradicted in other (juarters. 



During the whole winter the Whiting keeps to its 

 autumn haunts, and does not return to deep water 

 before the spring. 



Among all the Gadoid species the Whiting, when 

 cooked fresh, has the finest and most palatable flesh, 

 and is, therefore, in high i-e])ute for the pui'poses of 

 the table. When salted or dried it loses a great por- 

 tion of its good flavour, and is nmch inferior to most 

 of the larger species. In Scandinavia it is only seldom 

 cured in the latter manner, and never for sale; but if 

 a fisherman takes a larger quantity of Whiting than he 

 can dispose of fresh or consume himself, he is obliged 

 to have recourse to one of these methods of preserving 

 the remainder for his own use. When dried, the Whit- 

 ing grows as hard as dry glue, and is therefore knoAvn 

 in England as buckhoni. 



The Whiting-fisher-v gives emploA'ment to most of 

 the island fishermen at the periods when no more im- 

 portant and lucrative fishei'V occupies their time and 

 attention; and is j)ursued all the year round by the 

 old and weak, as well as by children, Avho are inca- 

 pable of taking part in the more important fisheries, 

 and whose presence is not required there. 



