Contribution a l'étude du lieu jaune (Gadus Pollachius L.)

Gadus pollachius Linnaeus (Fig. 1) is generally known under the name of "lieu jaune" in France, but according to the region or its size, it can have other names: At Boulogne-sur-Mer, it is known as white "merluche" or "colin" and in Brittany, as "malouan" or "loeneck" according to whether it is a juvenile or an adult specimen.In England, it is called pollack or whiting pollack and in Scotland, "laits" or "lythe". In Spain, juveniles are called "corobelo" and adults "abadejo".While the development of eggs and larvae of whiting is well described, its biometry and its growth are less well known.The present study aims to contribute some data on this subject and to determine whether the whiting fished in the southern portion of their habitat, from Portugal to northern Ireland, constitute a single, homogenous genetic population or whether they belong to different populations.It was also important to study the composition of fished stock in an area where fishing effort is intense and to define whiting abundance compared to other captured fish.