Green lings

A couple of readers have asked why some lingcod are green, including their flesh, and others are “white” or normally colored. Both mentioned they had heard it was because of diet, and that the green lings were probably eating crab.

I asked a couple of fish biologists and the answer still isn’t clear. One agreed with the diet theory, although he wouldn’t endorse crab as the specific cause of the coloration. But the other bio, equally trained, said it was simply “a genetic variation.” He had heard the diet theory, but he said it “had not been verified.” So you takes your pick and lays down your money.