Whiting (Merlangius merlangus)
Key Details
| Taxonomic Groups: | Vertebrate > bony fish (Actinopterygii) > Fish |
| Red List Status: | (Not Relevant) [(not listed)(nr)] |
| D5 Status: | |
| Section 41 Status: | (not listed) |
| Taxa Included Synonym: | (none) |
| UKSI Recommended Name: | Merlangius merlangus |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | (Linnaeus, 1758) |
| UKSI Recommended Qualifier: | (none specified) |
| Red List Citation: | (not listed) |
| Notes on taxonomy/listing: | (none) |
Criteria
| Question 1: | Does species need conservation or recovery in England? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Red list status in England is unknown & hasn't been assessed globally since 2013. Population trend unknown. |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Status review required. Vulnerable to exploitation. |
| Question 3: | At a landscape scale, would the species benefit from untargeted habitat management to increase habitat mosaics, structural diversity, or particular successional stages? |
| Response: | No |
| Justification: | This species would not benefit from untargeted management |
Species Assessment
| Current step on the Species Recovery Curve (SRC): | 1. Taxonomy established |
| Recovery potential/expectation: | Low - Policy conflict (detail in comments) |
| National Monitoring Resource: | Opportunistic - insufficient |
| Species Comments: | Policy Conflict. Need to bring TAC in line with scientific advice for Irish sea and North sea. Irish sea whiting is in such a state of crisis that a total ban on all catches is advised by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES). Protection of juveniles could benefit the stocks in the long run. |
Key Actions
Key Action 1
Proposed Action: Up to 75% of whiting caught can be discarded. Increase surveillance of whiting fishery to inform better management including reduction in fish discards particularly of undersized fish. Support development of technical measured to prevent this discard.
Action targets: 7. Best approach adopted at appropriate scales
Action type: Targeted monitoring
Duration: 2 years
Scale of Implementation: National
High priority sites:
Comments:
Key Action 2
Proposed Action: Climate change will lead to the shift in distribution of whiting. Effects will need to be taken into account in fisheries and protected area management plans and advice as whiting have the potential to become choke species (incidental capture in other targeted fisheries)
Action targets: 2. Biological status assessment exists
Action type: Climate change adaptation
Duration: 3-5 years
Scale of Implementation: National
High priority sites:
Comments:
Key Action 3
Proposed Action: Update England Red List status
Action targets: 2. Biological status assessment exists
Action type: Status survey/review
Duration: 1 year
Scale of Implementation: National
High priority sites:
Comments:
Acknowledgment:
Data used on this website are adapted from Threatened species recovery actions 2025 baseline (JP065): Technical report and spreadsheet user guide (Natural England, 2025). Available here.