Editing Whitefish (fisheries term)

{{Short description|Several species of demersal fish with fins}}
<noinclude>{{Requested move notice|1=Whitefish (fishery)|2=Talk:Whitefish (fisheries term)#Requested move 13 May 2025}}
</noinclude>[[File:Gadus morhua-idlm2006.jpg|thumb|White fish ([[Atlantic cod]])]]
[[File:Halibut and salmon fillets.jpg|thumb|White fish fillet ([[halibut]] – on top) contrasted with an [[oily fish]] fillet ([[salmon]] – at bottom)]]

'''Whitefish''' or '''white fish''' is a [[fisheries]] term for several species of [[demersal fish]] with [[fin]]s, particularly [[Atlantic cod]] (''Gadus morhua''), [[whiting (fish)|whiting]] (''Merluccius bilinearis''), [[haddock]] (''Melanogrammus aeglefinus''), [[Phycidae|hake]] (''Urophycis''), and [[pollock]] (''Pollachius''), among others. Whitefish ([[Freshwater whitefish|Coregonidae]]) is also the name of several species of [[Atlantic]] [[freshwater fish]].

Whitefish live on or near the [[seafloor]], and can be contrasted with the [[Oily fish|oily]] or [[pelagic fish]], which live away from the seafloor.{{Citation needed|date=July 2020}}{{dubious|reason=pollock appears to be an obvious counterexample|date=January 2021}} Whitefish do not have much [[fish oil|oil]] in their tissue, and have flakier white or light-coloured flesh. Most of the oil found in their bodies is concentrated in the organs, e.g. [[cod liver oil]].

Whitefish can be divided into [[benthopelagic fish]] (round fish that live ''near'' the sea bed, such as [[cod]] and [[Coley (fish)|coley]]) and [[benthic fish]] (which live ''on'' the sea bed, such as [[flatfish]] like [[plaice]]).

Whitefish is sometimes eaten straight but is often used reconstituted for [[fishstick]]s, [[gefilte fish]], [[lutefisk]], [[surimi]] ([[imitation crab meat]]), etc. Because of their lower oil and fat content, whitefish are particularly suitable for preservation by salting and drying. For centuries it was [[drying (food)|preserved by drying]] as [[stockfish]] and [[clipfish]] and traded as a world commodity.<ref>{{cite book |first=Mark |last=Kurlansky |title=Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World |location=New York |publisher=Walker |year=1997 |isbn=0-8027-1326-2 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/codbiographyof00kurl }}</ref>  It is commonly used as the fish in the classic British dish of [[fish and chips]].

==Growth==
The growth amidst whitefish species can be altered due to intraspecific competition. Fish populations such as Vendace and Roach share zooplankton for food which is crucial for young populations of whitefish. As this competition occurs, growth rate can be affected within multiple age groups or at an older age.<ref>{{cite journal |first1=J |last1=Raitaniemi |first2=T |last2=Malinen |first3=K |last3=Nyberg |first4=M |last4=Rask |title=The growth of whitefish in relation to water quality and fish species composition |journal=Journal of Fish Biology |year=1999 |volume=54 |issue=4 |pages=741–756 |doi=10.1111/j.1095-8649.1999.tb02030.x |issn=0022-1112 |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1095-8649.1999.tb02030.x |doi-access=free }}</ref>

==Nutritional information==
One fillet of whitefish, mixed species (198g) contains the following nutritional information according to the [[United States Department of Agriculture]]:<ref>{{Cite web |date=4 January 2019 |title=Fish, whitefish, mixed species, raw |url=https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/173711/nutrients |access-date=31 January 2023 |website=fdc.nal.usda.gov}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
!Name
!Amount 
!Unit
|-
|Water
|144
|g
|-
|Energy
|265
|kcal
|-
|Energy
|1110
|kJ
|-
|Protein
|37.8
|g
|-
|Total lipid (fat)
|11.6
|g
|-
|Ash
|2.22
|g
|-
|Carbohydrate, by difference
|0
|g
|-
|Fiber, total dietary
|0
|g
|-
|Sugars, total including NLEA
|0
|g
|-
|Calcium, Ca
|51.5
|mg
|-
|Iron, Fe
|0.733
|mg
|-
|Magnesium, Mg
|65.3
|mg
|-
|Phosphorus, P
|535
|mg
|-
|Potassium, K
|628
|mg
|-
|Sodium, Na
|101
|mg
|-
|Zinc, Zn
|1.96
|mg
|-
|Copper, Cu
|0.143
|mg
|-
|Manganese, Mn
|0.133
|mg
|-
|Selenium, Se
|24.9
|μg
|-
|Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid
|0
|mg
|-
|Thiamin
|0.277
|mg
|-
|Riboflavin
|0.238
|mg
|-
|Niacin
|5.94
|mg
|-
|Pantothenic acid
|1.48
|mg
|-
|Vitamin B-6
|0.594
|mg
|-
|Folate, total
|29.7
|μg
|-
|Folic acid
|0
|μg
|-
|Folate, food
|29.7
|μg
|-
|Folate, DFE
|29.7
|μg
|-
|Choline, total
|129
|mg
|-
|Vitamin B-12
|1.98
|μg
|-
|Vitamin B-12, added
|0
|μg
|-
|Vitamin A, RAE
|71.3
|μg
|-
|Retinol
|71.3
|μg
|-
|Carotene, beta
|0
|μg
|-
|Carotene, alpha
|0
|μg
|-
|Cryptoxanthin, beta
|0
|μg
|-
|Vitamin A, IU
|238
|IU
|-
|Lycopene
|0
|μg
|-
|Lutein + zeaxanthin
|0
|μg
|-
|Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol)
|0.396
|mg
|-
|Vitamin E, added
|0
|mg
|-
|Vitamin D (D2 + D3), International Units
|946
|IU
|-
|Vitamin D (D2 + D3)
|23.8
|μg
|-
|Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol)
|23.8
|μg
|-
|Vitamin K (phylloquinone)
|0.198
|μg
|-
|Fatty acids, total saturated
|1.79
|g
|-
|SFA 4:0
|0
|g
|-
|SFA 6:0
|0
|g
|-
|SFA 8:0
|0
|g
|-
|SFA 10:0
|0
|g
|-
|SFA 12:0
|0
|g
|-
|SFA 14:0
|0.216
|g
|-
|SFA 16:0
|1.19
|g
|-
|SFA 18:0
|0.392
|g
|-
|Fatty acids, total monounsaturated
|3.96
|g
|-
|MUFA 16:1
|1.03
|g
|-
|MUFA 18:1
|2.67
|g
|-
|MUFA 20:1
|0.206
|g
|-
|MUFA 22:1
|0.05
|g
|-
|Fatty acids, total polyunsaturated
|4.26
|g
|-
|PUFA 18:2
|0.539
|g
|-
|PUFA 18:3
|0.362
|g
|-
|PUFA 18:4
|0.099
|g
|-
|PUFA 20:4
|0.442
|g
|-
|PUFA 20:5 n-3 (EPA)
|0.628
|g
|-
|PUFA 22:5 n-3 (DPA)
|0.323
|g
|-
|PUFA 22:6 n-3 (DHA)
|1.86
|g
|-
|Cholesterol
|119
|mg
|-
|Tryptophan
|0.424
|g
|-
|Threonine
|1.66
|g
|-
|Isoleucine
|1.74
|g
|-
|Leucine
|3.07
|g
|-
|Lysine
|3.46
|g
|-
|Methionine
|1.12
|g
|-
|Cystine
|0.406
|g
|-
|Phenylalanine
|1.48
|g
|-
|Tyrosine
|1.28
|g
|-
|Valine
|1.95
|g
|-
|Arginine
|2.26
|g
|-
|Histidine
|1.11
|g
|-
|Alanine
|2.28
|g
|-
|Aspartic acid
|3.88
|g
|-
|Glutamic acid
|5.64
|g
|-
|Glycine
|1.81
|g
|-
|Proline
|1.34
|g
|-
|Serine
|1.54
|g
|-
|Alcohol, ethyl
|0
|g
|-
|Caffeine
|0
|mg
|-
|Theobromine
|0
|mg
|}
*

*

==See also==
* [[Bottom feeder]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{Diversity of fish}}
{{Fisheries and fishing}}

[[Category:Fish common names]]
[[Category:Fishing industry]]


{{Fish-stub}}