Hake

Merluccius, commonly known as hake, is prominent in marine ecosystems and the culinary world. A member of the cod family group (Gadidae), hake often earns its distinct family classification, Merlucciidae, due to its unique skeletal features.

While prized for its delicate, flaky white flesh and mild flavor, this “merluza” of Spanish cuisine carries a weighty history of overfishing, particularly in the Mediterranean, where it stands as a stark example of the pressures facing global fish stocks.

The 1990s marked a near-collapse for hake populations, mirroring the struggles of other groundfish. Though some recovery has been observed, the hake’s story serves as a crucial reminder of the delicate balance between human consumption and sustainable fishing practices.

Appearance

Hakes are long-headed fish with huge, keen teeth. They have two dorsal fins, with the second being longer and having a little notch in the center. The pelvic fins are positioned very far forward, ahead of the pectorals, and the anal fin is likewise long and notched. The caudal fin has a serrated border and is well-developed. The backdrop color is deeper and more angular than the lateral line. Its underbelly is creamy, and its back is blue-gray with silvery sides.

Their coloration ranges from silvery-grey to brownish-grey on their backs, fading to a paler, almost iridescent, white or silver on their undersides. This countershading provides camouflage both from predators looking down and prey looking up.

It is a medium- to large-sized fish, weighing 1 to 8 lbs on average but reaching 60 lbs in certain individuals. With a lifetime of up to 14 years, the fish may reach a maximum length of 3 feet, 3 inches.

Their heads are relatively large, featuring prominent eyes and a large mouth filled with small, sharp teeth, indicative of their predatory nature. While variations exist between species, these characteristics generally define the hake’s somewhat unassuming, yet effectively streamlined, appearance.

Red and white hake are “true” hakes while silver hake (also called whiting) is part of a different family. Red hake resemble white hake but are smaller. Silver hake or whiting is a long slender fish without a chin barbel or long feeler fin.

Habitat

Hakes are semi-pelagic, nocturnal predators that travel up in the water column at night to prey, mostly between twilight and dawn. During the day, they return to rest on the ocean floor, favoring muddy, gravel, or sandy bottoms.

From Norway and Iceland south to the Straits of Gibraltar and south along the west coast of Africa to Mauritania, the eastern Atlantic is their home, widely spread in the Mediterranean Sea. 

Although it stretches into the Black Sea, it is only found along its southern shores. Hake can be found in a larger variety of deep water, as little as 98 ft down to 3,300 ft, but it is typically found at depths between 230 ft and 1,200 ft. They often migrate to inshore waters in the warmer months.

Red hake and silver hake in the Gulf of Maine are not overfished nor is overfishing occurring. The population of white hake in the Gulf of Maine is rebuilding and overfishing is not occurring.

Diet

Hakes are fast, predatory fish that are eaten despite having relatively soft flesh. They consume a greater variety of foods, including more euphausiids and decapods. These energetic, fuss-free predators eat any smaller fish they can find as adults.

They enthusiastically consume any fish they encounter, including mackerel, herring (hence the name herring hake), pouting, sand eels, squid, codfish, and others. They are not opposed to hunting down smaller members of their own species.

The infants eat crabs.

Reproduction

Most females reach sexual maturity in their 7th year, when they are about 22 inches long, whereas males reach sexual maturity in their 5th year when they are about 16 inches long.

The females have a reported fecundity of 2 to 7 million eggs per female, and they grow more quickly than the males.

The largest egg production happens about 660 ft or so below the surface. Depending on the direction of the current, the larvae are either washed farther out to sea or deposited in designated nursery zones. The eggs hatch after two months, and the young ones remain close to the murky seabed during the day and climb to graze at shallower depths at night.

Threats

Their natural predators include marine mammals such as dogfish sharks, dolphins, sea lions, and also the Humboldt squids. However, the biggest threats to them are overfishing and mass fishing practices.

In the 1990s, this fish was overfished to the point of extinction, and for about ten years, their population status was close to or below the safe biological limit. The capacity of a fish to reproduce and preserve its species is compromised when this reference point is exceeded, making it a risky threshold to cross.

7 More Amazing Facts about the Hake

1. Hake is lower in omega-3 fatty acids than other seafood choices.
2. This fish resorts to cannibalizing their young ones.
3. It is a good source of selenium, vitamin B, magnesium, and protein.
4. Hakes swim together in small schools.
5. In the wild, they have a 14–15 year lifespan.
6. Hakes cannot survive in temperatures lower than 39.2°F.
7. Hakes are nocturnal predators.

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