Species profile
Hake
Merluccius productus
At a glance
Hake (Merluccius productus) is an IUCN Least Concern bony-fish species with specific harvest rules tracked in 1 of 66 jurisdictions covered by CatchRules.
Confirmed by 109 research-grade iNaturalist observations, with British Columbia, California, and Washington the top jurisdictions by observation count.
Notable details
- One of the most abundant fish in the California Current, with biomass in the millions of tons.
- Performs daily vertical migrations, descending to 500 m by day and rising at night.
- Can reach 91 cm (36 in) in length.
- Flesh contains self-digesting enzymes that cause rapid softening after death.
- The U.S.–Canada jointly managed stock is among the largest groundfish fisheries on the Pacific coast.
Where Hake are seen
Jurisdictions with rules for Hake
Background
The North Pacific hake, Pacific hake, Pacific whiting, or jack salmon (Merluccius productus) is a ray-finned fish in the genus Merluccius, found in the northeast Pacific Ocean from northern Vancouver Island to the northern part of the Gulf of California. It is a silver-gray fish with black speckling, growing to a length of 90 cm (3 ft). It is a migratory offshore fish and undergoes a daily…
Background excerpt adapted from Wikipedia's Hake article (CC BY-SA). Visit Wikipedia for the full entry.
Other bony fish on CatchRules
Photo credit: iNaturalist / Wikipedia. Identification reference only — verify regulations with the issuing wildlife agency before retaining a catch.