Peculiar catch raises question: 'What’s wrong with this fish?'

A Southern California angler recently caught a lingcod with such striking coloration that Newport Landing Sportfishing posted the photo to Instagram, asking, “What’s wrong with this fish?”

The inside of its mouth was turquoise, its skin blueish-green and mottled. Its teeth – nothing unusual here – were long and sharp.

A right-swipe shows how most lingcod look: mostly brown and blotchy. (See Instagram post below.)

Both fish were caught off Newport Beach before closures related to the COVID-19 pandemic went into effect – one aboard the Western Pride out of Davey’s Locker Sportfishing (top), and the other aboard the Aggressor out of Newport Landing.

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To answer Newport Landing’s question, nothing was “wrong” with the blue-green lingcod. But according to the landing, this type of coloration is “rare,” appearing on only 20% of lingcod catches.

Some anglers maintain that the the flesh of these lingcod, while it can also be tinged with green before it’s cooked, tastes sweeter.

And veteran anglers know that lingcod come in other color variations, too.

Wrote UC Santa Barbara scientist Milton Love in his book, Certainly More Than You Want to Know About the Fishes of the Pacific Coast: “Lings come in a vast assortment of colors, from black, or brown, to green, with darker mottling and spotting on back and sides. They often have orange or yellow spots.”

Lingcod, which are not true cod but members of the greenling family, are found on the West Coast from the Gulf of Alaska to Baja California, Mexico. According to NOAA Fisheries, lingcod are not overfished and considered a “smart seafood choice” if consumers can find them listed on menus.

Lingcod, which can measure 5 feet and weigh 80 pounds, are caught only sporadically by recreational fishermen during rockfish excursions. So when one comes over the rail, given their size and menacing appearance, the angler is usually the envy of others.

–Images showing a blue-green lingcod and the more usual brown-colored lingcod are courtesy of Davey’s Locker Sportfishing and Newport Landing