North Pacific hake (Merluccius productus)

Scientific name: Merluccius productus Ayres, 1855

North Pacific hake (Merluccius productus)

The North Pacific hake (Merluccius productus) is a brackish-water fish of the family Merlucciidae. Native range: Eastern Pacific, northern Vancouver Island, Canada to northern part of the Gulf of California. A record from the Gulf of Alaska is doubtful.

Biology

Inhabit oceanic and coastal areas, but mainly on the continental shelf. Although often classified as demersal, the distribution and behavior suggest a largely pelagic existence. Adults live in large schools in waters overlying the continental shelf and slope except during the spawning season when they are found several hundred miles seaward. A nocturnal feeder that feed on a variety of fishes and invertebrates. Important prey for sea lions and small cetaceans; also prey of dogfish.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Merluccius productus
Family
Merlucciidae (Merluccid hakes)
Order
Gadiformes (Cods)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
91.0
Common length
60.0
Depth range
0–1000 m (0–3281 ft)
Environment
Marine; brackish; pelagic-oceanic; depth range 0 - 1000 m, usually ? - 229 m
Climate
Temperate
Distribution
Eastern Pacific: northern Vancouver Island, Canada to northern part of the Gulf of California. A record from the Gulf of Alaska is doubtful.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Least Concern (LC)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Uses
Fisheries: highly commercial
Resilience
Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (tmax=17; tm=4; also Musick et al. 2000)

Sources

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

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