Pacific Hake, Merluccius productus
Pacific Hake, Merluccius productus. Fish caught from coastal waters off Newport Beach, California, December 2020. Length: 29 cm (11 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Ben Cantrell, San Diego, California.
Pacific Hake, Merluccius productus. Fish caught from coastal waters off Loreto, Baja California Sur, June 2021. Length: 62 cm (2 feet 0 inches). Weight: 1.5 kg (3 lbs 6 oz). Fish was the new International Game Fish Association world record until surpassed in 2023. Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Chris Wheaton, Fullerton, California.
Pacific Hake, Merluccius productus. Fish caught from coastal waters off Loreto, Baja California Sur, June 2024. Length: 69 cm (2 feet 3 inches) and is significantly larger than than the existing world record in 2021. Identification courtesy of Dr. Ross Robertson, Smithsonian Institute, Panama City, Panama.
The Pacific Hake, Merluccius productus, is a member of the Merlucciid Hake or Merlucciidae Family, that is also known as the North-pacific Hake and the Pacific Whiting and in Mexico as merluza norteña. There are three recognized stocks of Pacific Hake with varying locations, spawning dates, and sizes; these were historically divided into three different species – the Cortez Hake, Merluccius hernandezi, the Pacific Hake, Merluccius productus, and the Panama Hake, Merluccius angustimanus, however, they have now been consolidated into just the Merluccius productus species, even though many scientists still recognize Merluccius angustimanus as a different species. Globally, there are twenty-three species that have been placed in five genera in the Merlucciidae Family of which thirteen species are in the genus Merluccius, of which two are found in Mexican waters, one in the Atlantic and one in the Pacific Ocean.
The Pacific Hake has an elongated compressed body that tapers to a narrow tail base. They are metallic silver-reddish with black specks dorsally and transition to silvery-white ventrally. The inside of their mouth is black. Their head is short, large, and flattened with large eyes and a large mouth equipped with sharp teeth and a projecting lower jaw. Their anal fin has 36 to 42 rays; their caudal fin is short and concave; their first dorsal fin is triangular, tall and a short base with 1 spine and 9 to 12 rays; the second dorsal fin is separated from the first and has a long base and is a mirror image of the anal fin and has 1 spine, and 39 to 44 rays; their pectoral fins originate beyond the start of the anal fin; and, their pelvic fins are well-developed and located before the pectoral fins. They have 18 to 23 gill rakers. They are covered with minute scales.
The Pacific Hake is a coastal and offshore pelagic schooling species that undergo daily vertical migrations from the surface to depths up to 1,400 m (4,600 feet). They are fast growing for the first four years and reach a maximum of 91 cm (3 feet 0 inches) in length and 1.2 kg (2.6 lbs) in weight. As of January 1, 2024, the International Game Fish Association world record stood at 5.36 kg (11 lbs 13 oz) with the fish caught in coastal waters within Gonzaga Bay, Baja California, in April 2023. They are nocturnal feeders and consume small fish, plankton, and shrimp. In turn they are preyed upon by Dogfish Sharks, Sea Lions, and Whales; a new emerging threat is the Humboldt Squid, Dosidicus gigas, which have expanded their range and are voracious predators. The Pacific Hake migrate northward from July to September into the shallower waters of southern Oregon and return in December to the deeper and more seaward waters off Baja for spawning. Reproduction is not well-documented but they are believed to reach maturity between the ages of three and four with each female laying between 80,000 to 500,000 eggs and spawning occurring more than once a year. They have lifespans of up to sixteen years.
The Pacific Hake is a resident of all Mexican waters of the Pacific Ocean.
The Pacific Hake is a straightforward identification and cannot be confused with any other species.
From a conservation perspective the Pacific Hake is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. Their population levels are difficult to assess being prone to overfishing, and within their known range, their stocks have significantly diminished from historical levels in some areas. The Pacific Hake is are one of the most important commercial species of the West Coast of North America. They are harvested with otter trawls and longlines at a level of 500,000 tons annually off the coastal waters of North America with approximately 50% being caught in United States waters and about 25% each in Canadian and Mexican waters. They are heavily regulated with annual commercial quotas, bans on recreational fishing in some areas, and area closures. They are used primarily for fishmeal with whole fish being utilized for aquaculture feeds, omega-3 human nutritional supplements, and pet food. A small percentage is frozen and exported for use in human consumption. They have a delicate texture and a mild slightly sweet taste and are used to produce breaded fish sticks and surimi most of which is sold as artificial crab sticks and kamaboko in Asian markets. Due to their short shelf-life, most fish are fully processed at sea at the time of collection.