Saithe - Pollachius virens                          

Diagnostic features
A small barbel at tip of lower jaw. Lateral line smooth along its entire length.  Colour: brownish-green dorsally, only slightly paler ventrally; fins coloured like the body, except for pelvics which are pale; lateral line pale.  
 

Geographical distribution
Barents Sea and Spitsbergen to Bay of Biscay, around Iceland, southwest Greenland, and in the western Atlantic from Hudson Strait to North Carolina, although rare at the extremes of the range.


Saithe - Geographical distribution

Habitat and biology
An active, gregarious, pelagic fishoccurring in inshore and offshore waters to about 200 m depth.  Migrations are known to occur, especially for spawning, to coastal waters in spring and to deeper waters in winter. Also, long-distance north-south migrations are known, both for Europe and America. During their first 2-3 years of age, saithe remain in shallow coastal waters. Maximum age is 25 years. European saithe grow faster in the southern part of their range, but it is not known whether this also applies to the North American population. First maturity is reached between 5 and 10 years of age in the European population and apparently earlier (at 3 years) in the Gulf of Maine.

Spawning occurs in late fall and winter; in the western North Atlantic it begins in September and ends in March, with a peak from November to February.  Average females lay about 220 000 eggs, but in large fish, the fecundity may reach 4 000 000 eggs per female. 

Smaller fish in inshore waters feed on small crustaceans (copepods, amphipods, euphausiids) and small fish, while the large saithe prey predominantly upon fishes. 

Size
Reaches nearly 130 cm total length; common from 30 to 110 cm.

Fisheries
An important commercial species, similar to cod and haddock which it replaces in some products. Saithe are caught with purse seine and Danish seines, trawls (bottom and pelagic), and longlines; also trolling with spoons is used. They are marketed fresh, chilled as fillets, and frozen; also canned, dried-salted and in brine.

Source: FAO