Southern Blue Whiting Identification Guide
How to recognize southern blue whiting by its barbel-less jaw and Southern Hemisphere range.
Read the full Southern Blue Whiting encyclopedia entry →Key identification features
- Slender, elongated body, blue-grey along the back fading to silvery below
- No chin barbel
- Protruding lower jaw that extends beyond the upper jaw
- Deeply forked tail fin
- Three dorsal fins and two anal fins, evenly spaced along the back
- Generally larger than its northern counterpart, reaching 60-90 cm, with large eyes
Common look-alikes
- Northern blue whiting: nearly identical in shape and coloration but restricted to the North Atlantic, so hemisphere and range are the main separators
- Southern hake: deeper-bodied with a larger head and more robust jaw compared with the slim, delicate build of southern blue whiting
- Chilean hake: stockier overall, lacking the sharply forked tail typical of southern blue whiting
Where you'll see one
Southern blue whiting is found in cold subantarctic waters off southern South America, including Chile, Argentina, and the Falkland Islands, schooling in large numbers over the continental shelf and slope and undertaking seasonal migrations tied to spawning, sometimes moving into deep channels and fjords.
Frequently asked questions
How do I tell southern blue whiting from northern blue whiting?
The two are very similar in appearance, so location is decisive - southern blue whiting lives only in the Southern Hemisphere off South America, while the northern form is confined to the North Atlantic.
What separates southern blue whiting from Chilean hake in the same waters?
Southern blue whiting has a slimmer body, deeply forked tail, and no chin barbel, while Chilean hake is stockier with a less deeply forked tail.