Whitefish (fisheries term)


Whitefish or white fish is a fisheries term for several species of demersal fish with fins, particularly Atlantic cod, whiting, haddock, hake, pollock, and others. Whitefish 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 or pelagic fish which live in the water column away from the seafloor. Whitefish do not have much oil in their tissue, and have dry and white 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 and benthic fish.
Whitefish is sometimes eaten straight but is often used reconstituted for fishsticks, gefilte fish, lutefisk, surimi, etc. For centuries it was preserved by drying as stockfish and clipfish and traded as a world commodity. It is commonly used as the fish in the classic British dish of fish and chips.

Nutritional information

One fillet of whitefish, mixed species contains the following nutritional information according to the United States Department of Agriculture: