Whiting is a slender-bodied fish, about 28 inches (70 centimeters) long. It has a small barbel (fleshy whiskerlike growth) hanging from the lower jaw. The dorsal and anal fins are close together.
The whiting lives in European waters in shallow water, especially where the seabed is sandy. Adult whiting feed on other fish such as sprat and sand eels, and also on crustaceans. Very young whiting are often found under the bell of large jellyfish. The blue whiting is a related fish of east Atlantic waters. It forms large shoals. Other unrelated fish are also called whiting, including the blue rock whiting of Australia, a long, slender, wrasselike fish.
