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The blue whiting, ''Micromesistius poutassou'', one of the two species in the genus ''Micromesistius'' in the cod family, is common in the northeast Atlantic Ocean from Morocco to Iceland and Spitsbergen. It also occurs in the northern parts of the Mediterranean, where it may be locally abundant. Blue whiting also occur in the northwest Atlantic Ocean between Canada and Greenland, but is considered rare. It has a long, narrow body and a silvery underbody. The fish can attain a length of more than 40 cm. The average length of blue whiting caught off the west shores of the UK is 31 cm.〔(Handling and Processing Blue Whiting )〕 A related species, southern blue whiting, ''Micromesistius australis'', occurs in the Southern Hemisphere. ==Fisheries== Exploitation of blue whiting only started in the 1970s. The species, in the last decades, has become increasingly important to the fishing industries of northern European countries, including Russia. Catches exceeded 1 million tonnes from 1998 to 2008.〔(ICES Advice 2010: Blue whiting in Subareas I–IX, XII, and XIV (Combined stock) )〕 According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, blue whiting was fifth most important capture fish species in 2006.〔(The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2008 )〕 However, recruitment of the stock fell to a low level in 2006 and has been weak ever since, causing declining spawning stock and eventually triggering strong reductions in catch quotas. The reasons for low recruitment in recent years are poorly known.〔 The total quota for 2011 was set to 40,100 tonnes,〔(Agreed Record of Conclusions of Fisheries Consultations between the Faroe Islands, the European Union, Iceland and Norway on the Management of Blue Whiting in the North-East Atlantic in 2011 )〕 which is less than 2% of the record catch of 2.4 million tonnes in 2004. Catches in 2011 exceeded the quota by more than 100%.〔(Final Catch figures Blue whiting 2011 )〕 For 2012, ICES advises the catches should be no more than 391,000 tonnes.〔(ICES Advice September 2011. Blue whiting in Subareas I–IX, XII, and XIV (Combined stock) )〕 This large increase relative to the quota in 2011 (but not to the catches in 1998-2008) is caused by a revision in the stock assessment; however, recruitment to the stock is still low and the stock is forecasted to decline. The coastal states set the total quota for 2012 to 391,000 tonnes.〔(Agreed Record of Conclusions of Fisheries Consultations Between Iceland, the European Union, the Faroe Islands and Norway on the Management of Blue Whiting in the North-East Atlantic in 2012 )〕 The fish is usually not marketed fresh, but processed into fish meal and oil. However, in Russia and in southern Europe, blue whiting are sometimes sold as food fish. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Blue whiting」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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