Blue grenadier (Macruronus novaezelandiae)

Scientific name: Macruronus novaezelandiae Hector, 1871

Blue grenadier (Macruronus novaezelandiae)

The Blue grenadier (Macruronus novaezelandiae) is a brackish-water fish of the family Merlucciidae. Native range: Southwest Pacific, New Zealand and southern Australia.

Biology

Appear to live usually on or near the bottom, but may occasionally move up into mid-waters. Large adult fish generally occur deeper than 400 m, while juveniles may be found in shallower water, more commonly found in large estuaries and bays, and may even enter freshwaters. Juvenile specimens and especially adults belonging to the American subspecies, have been caught from the coastal zone to 110 m. Form schools. Feed primarily on lantern fishes. In New Zealand, it feeds in midwater on small fish, crustaceans and squid. Oviparous, spawn 1 million eggs on the average which are released all at one time. Utilized fresh and frozen; can be steamed, fried, cooked in microwave and baked. The New Zealand Commercial Hoki fishery of this species has been certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (http://

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Macruronus novaezelandiae
Family
Merlucciidae (Merluccid hakes)
Order
Gadiformes (Cods)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
120
Common length
80.0
Depth range
0–1000 m (0–3281 ft)
Environment
Marine; brackish; benthopelagic; oceanodromous; depth range 0 - 1000 m, usually 200 - 700 m
Climate
Subtropical
Distribution
Southwest Pacific: New Zealand and southern Australia.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
Uses
Fisheries: highly commercial
Resilience
High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (K=0.12-0.2; tm=3-7; tmax=25; Fec = 1,000,000)

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

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