First record of the pelagic fish species blue whiting Micromesistius poutassou in the Belgian part of the North Sea

The blue whiting Micromesistius poutassou (Risso, 1827) is a member of the cod family (Gadidae) and occurs in the western Mediterranean Sea and in the North Atlantic, ranging from Morocco to Spitsbergen in the east, and from Maine (US) towards southern Greenland in the west (1). It reaches lengths up to 50 cm and can weigh up to 830 g (1, 2). Blue whitings are bathypelagic oceanodromous fish that occupy depth ranges from 150-3000 m, but are mostly found at 300-400 m (3, 4).