# Saithe (*Pollachius virens*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/saithe  
Data as of: 2026-11-14

The saithe (Pollachius virens) is a bony fish in the family Gadidae and the genus Pollachius. It belongs to the order Gadiformes, suborder Gadoidei, within the class Teleostei of the phylum Chordata. Other English names for the saithe are Coley, Billet, Pollock, Glassan and Gloshan. Its scientific name carries the authority (Linnaeus, 1758).

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | up to 32 kg |
| Length | 1 m – 1.2 m |
| Lifespan | Not recorded |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 20 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | marine |
| Young per litter or clutch | Not recorded |
| Reproduction | Eggs |
| Conservation status | Not recorded |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Recorded prey and predators

Recorded prey: Atlantic herring (*Clupea harengus*), Putassu (*Micromesistius poutassou*), European sprat (*Sprattus sprattus*), Atlantic mackerel (*Scomber scombrus*), Cepelan (*Trisopterus minutus*), Nordic krill (*Meganyctiphanes norvegica*), European pilchard (*Sardina pilchardus*), Atlantic horse mackerel (*Trachurus trachurus*), Argentine (*Argentina sphyraena*), Norway pout (*Trisopterus esmarkii*), Haddock (*Melanogrammus aeglefinus*), Silvery pout (*Gadiculus argenteus*). Recorded predators: Atlantic cod (*Gadus morhua*), Merlangius (*Merlangius merlangus*), Spiny dogfish (*Squalus acanthias*), Ling (*Molva molva*), Grey gurnard (*Eutrigla gurnardus*), Haddock (*Melanogrammus aeglefinus*), Thornback (*Amblyraja radiata*), Common minke whale (*Balaenoptera acutorostrata*), Putassu (*Micromesistius poutassou*), Redfish (*Sebastes mentella*), Greenland shark (*Somniosus microcephalus*), Monkfish (*Squatina squatina*). Each pair is recorded by at least two datasets compiled by Global Biotic Interactions (https://www.globalbioticinteractions.org/, CC0 1.0).

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Teleostei
- order: Gadiformes
- family: Gadidae
- genus: Pollachius
- species: *Pollachius virens* (Linnaeus, 1758)

Synonyms: *Gadus carbonarius*, *Gadus colinus*, *Gadus purpureus*, *Gadus sey*, *Gadus virens*, *Merlangus carbonarius*, *Merlangus purpureus*, *Merlangus virens*, *Polachius virens*, *Pollachius carbonarius*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the saithe?

The saithe is a bony fish. It belongs to the family Gadidae in the order Gadiformes.

### What is the scientific name of the saithe?

The scientific name of the saithe is Pollachius virens, placing it in the genus Pollachius.

### What other names does the saithe have?

Other English names for the saithe are Coley, Billet, Pollock, Glassan and Gloshan.

### Who named the saithe and when?

The saithe was named by Linnaeus in 1758, with the authority written as (Linnaeus, 1758).

### What family does the saithe belong to?

The saithe belongs to the family Gadidae, within the suborder Gadoidei.

### What class is the saithe in?

The saithe is in the class Teleostei, within the phylum Chordata and kingdom Animalia.

### What eats the saithe?

Animals recorded preying on the saithe include atlantic cod, merlangius, spiny dogfish and ling. The records are compiled by Global Biotic Interactions from published studies; each pair is reported by at least two datasets.

### Which animals does the saithe eat?

Animals recorded as prey of the saithe include atlantic herring, putassu, european sprat and atlantic mackerel. The records are compiled by Global Biotic Interactions from published studies; each pair is reported by at least two datasets.

## Sources

- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [Global Biotic Interactions (GloBI): interpreted data products](https://www.globalbioticinteractions.org/), CC0 1.0, 0.11. Poelen, J.H., Simons, J.D. & Mungall, C.J. (2014) Global Biotic Interactions: an open infrastructure to share and analyze species-interaction datasets. Ecological Informatics 24: 148–159. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoinf.2014.08.005. Data: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22691479, with each record's original reference.
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Saithe (Pollachius virens). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/saithe