Preorbital bone with 1 or 2 spinous points over maxilla; suborbital ridge without spine and generally weakly marked; supplemental preopercular spine absent; all 5 preopercular spines about equal in length; supracleithral spine present; 2 opercular spines; other spines present include the nasal, pre, supra ant post-ocular and parietal. Symphyseal knob absent, or present as a rounded protuberance. Lower preopercular spine directed downward and slightly backward, rarely downward and slightly forward. Front side of supra-occipital commissure between parietal ridges with 4 pores. 

From Kattegat and the northern part of the North Sea, northward to the western coast of Spitzbergen, southern part of the Barents Sea eastward to the Kanin Banks and Novaya Zembla shoals, rare in the White Sea, common around Iceland and along the south part of the eastern coast of Greenland. Elsewhere, along western coast of Greenland, along North America coast southward to Flemish Cape, Grand Banks and Gulf of St. Laurence.

 

The juveniles are living in the fjords, bays and inshore waters;the adults are found off the coast at 100 to 400 m, less commonly down to 500 m.  At great depths, fishes have a larger size than in shallow waters. Feeds mostly on euphausiids in summer; herrings in autumn and winter; capelins, herrings, euphausiids and ctenophores in spring.  Gregarious throughout life. A slow growing species. Ovoviviparous; insemination of the females in August-September (Barents Sea) and from October to January (off Iceland and Greenland); fertilization of the ripe oocytes during February and March; release of larvae from April to June or even to August.

Attains about 100 cm and 15 kg in weight, at a considerable age. Few specimens today live long enough to exceed 50 cm (usually 35-55 cm).

They are caught in large numbers by vessels from northern Europe, and to a lesser extent from North America. Utilized fresh and frozen; eaten fried, broiled, microwaved and baked.