Southern hake (Merluccius australis)

Scientific name: Merluccius australis Hutton, 1872

The Southern hake (Merluccius australis) is a marine fish of the family Merlucciidae.

Biology

Found at depths between 415 and 1000 m in New Zealand waters, and 62 to 800 m in South American waters. The Patagonian population feeds on southern blue whiting, whiptail, nototheniids and squids. The New Zealand population feeds mainly on fishes, squids, euphausiids and benthic organisms. Adults probably migrate southward during the southern summer for feeding and return to the north in winter for spawning. Spawning takes place from August to September on the western coast of South Island, from September to November in the northern part of the Campbell Plateau, and between November and January on Chatham Rise. Utilized as food fish and fishmeal.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name: Merluccius australis
Family: Merlucciidae (Merluccid hakes)
Order: Gadiformes (Cods)
Class: Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length: 155
Common length: 80.0
Depth range: 28–1000 m (92–3281 ft)
Environment: Marine; benthopelagic; oceanodromous; depth range 28 - 1000 m
Climate: Subtropical
Distribution: Circumglobal in the southern hemisphere. Two distinct groups. New Zealand population: Chatham Rise, Campbell Plateau and South Island northward to the East Cape. Patagonian population: Chilo? Island in the Pacific, southward around the southern tip of South America to the continental shelf to 59?S, and the slope north to 38?S in the Atlantic.
Conservation status (IUCN): Not Evaluated
Threat to humans: Harmless
Uses: Fisheries: highly commercial
Resilience: Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (K=0.07-0.19; tm=6-10; tmax=30)

Sources

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

Last updated 27 September 2026