Ling (Molva molva)

Scientific name: Molva molva Linnaeus, 1758

The Ling (Molva molva) is a marine fish of the family Lotidae.

Biology

Occurs mainly on rocky bottoms in fairly deep water. Found more commonly from 100 to 400 m. Feeds on fish (cod, herring, flatfish), lobsters, cephalopods and starfishes. Principal spawning areas are Biscay, slopes west of the British Isles and off the Faeroes and southern Iceland. Marketed fresh, dried or salted and frozen; eaten steamed, fried, broiled and baked.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name: Molva molva
Family: Lotidae (Hakes and burbots)
Order: Gadiformes (Cods)
Class: Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length: 200
Common length: 106
Depth range: 100–1000 m (328–3281 ft)
Environment: Marine; demersal; oceanodromous; depth range 100 - 1000 m, usually 100 - 400 m
Climate: Temperate
Distribution: Northwest Atlantic: off southern Greenland and Canada. Northeast Atlantic: Barents Sea and Iceland to Morocco. Mediterranean Sea: northwestern Mediterranean only.
Conservation status (IUCN): Not Evaluated
Threat to humans: Harmless
Uses: Fisheries: highly commercial; gamefish: yes
Resilience: Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (K=0.12; tm=5-6; tmax=25; Fec=60 million)

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Last updated 27 September 2026