Hake

Hake is a marine fish that refers to the fish that belong to the cod family - Gadidae. But, the hake fish are also classed as separate Merlucciidae family of northern and southern oceans and Phycidae family of the northern oceans. This is because of the skeletal differences in the skull and ribs. Hake fish are elongated, large-headed fishes with large, sharp teeth. Their mouths have a prominent underbite, and they have silver-grey coloured scales. The scales on their underside have light silver to white colouration. The hake fishes are swift, carnivorous fishes and, though rather soft-fleshed, are used as food.

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Hake Fish - Description

Hake, cod and haddock - all come in the same taxonomic order - Gadiformes. They are medium to large fish averaging from 0.45 to 3.63 kg in weight. They can also be as large as 27 kg and 1 metre (3 ft 3 in) in length. They have a lifespan of around 14 years. They are found in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, around 656 to 1,148 ft deep. They come to shallower depths only during the night; during the day,  they stay in deep water. They feed on prey found on the bottom of the sea. 

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The hake fish reproduce by spawning. Spawning is an act in which the male and female sexes of the aquatic animals release the egg and sperm into the water.  After the hake fish spawn, their eggs float on the surface of the sea where the larvae develop. After some time, the baby hake migrates to the bottom of the sea, preferring depths of less than 656 ft. 

Hake: Species

There are 13 hake species known in the family Merlucciidae. These are:

Merluccius Bilinearis

• Common Names: Silver Hake, Whiting, Atlantic Whiting, New England Hake and Scrod. 

• Found in: They are found in the waters of the Canadian Atlantic coast down to the Bahamas, and from Newfoundland to South Carolina.

• Appearance: They are long and thin with a protruding lower jaw and two dorsal fins. This species is commonly called silver hake because of their silvery colouring, while darker dorsally. They can grow up to 32 inches (80 cm), but avg size is about 16 inches (40 cm). 

• Occurrence: They inhabit warm waters with temperatures around 5-10 °C. They are found in the northwest Atlantic Ocean at depths between 180 and 2,999 ft. 

Merluccius Productus

• Common Names: North Pacific hake, Pacific hake, Pacific whiting, or Jack Salmon.

• Found in: Northeast Pacific Ocean from northern Vancouver Island to the northern part of the Gulf of California.

• Description: The north pacific hake is a silver-grey fish with black speckling. They are migratory offshore fish that undergoes a daily vertical migration from the surface to the seabed at depths of about 3,300 ft. They grow up to 3 ft in length and have a lifespan of around 20 years. The pacific hakes are metallic silver-grey in colour with black speckling and pure silvery-white on the belly. They have two dorsal fins and a truncated caudal fin. They reproduce by spawning and more than once per season. Their spawning time is from January to June. 

• Occurrence: They occur from the surface to the depths of 3300ft. They are nocturnal feeders and migrate to the bottom to feed on a variety of fishes and invertebrates. They feed on shrimp, plankton, and smaller fish such as lanternfish. They are an important prey item for sea lions, small cetaceans, and dogfish sharks. 

Merluccius Albidus

• Common Names: Atlantic Hake, Offshore hake, offshore silver hake, or offshore whiting.

• Found in: Atlantic US & Central America, Brazil

• Description: The Atlantic Hake is recognised as the top 3 firmest textured Hakes. They can be found on the offshore continental shelf at a depth of 30–3,840 ft. They can grow about 28 inches in length and 4.1kg in weight. 

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Merluccius Hubbsi

• Common Name: Argentine hake, South American Hake, Argentine Whiting, Southwest Atlantic Hake

• Found in: South American Atlantic Coast

• Description: The Argentine Hake was described by an Argentine ichthyologist, Tomás Marini in the year 1933. They are very similar to the European Hake. They can grow up to the length of 95 cm with an average length of 50 - 65 cm and weigh up to 5kg. They are found in the southwestern Atlantic Ocean, along the coast of Argentina, and Uruguay at a depth of 100 - 200m. They feed on crustaceans, squids and fish. They migrate southwards in spring and northwards in autumn. The Argentine hake is sold fresh and frozen and it is one of the main fishing exports of Argentina.

Merluccius Paradoxus

• Common Name: Deep Water Hake, Cape Capensis

• Found in: The south-eastern Atlantic Ocean, along the coast of Southern Africa, south of Angola.

• Description: The Deepwater hake has an average length of 40–60 cm and they can grow up to the length of 80cm. They live close to the bottom in muddy areas on the continental shelf and slope. They are found in the south-eastern Atlantic Ocean, along the coast of Southern Africa, south of Angola at a depth of 200 to 850 m, mostly below 400m. The baby hakes feed on small deep-sea fishes and crustaceans and especially the Euphausiacea. The fully mature deep-water hake feeds on fish, squid, and crustaceans, especially the Mysidacea and Euphausiacea. 

Merluccius Merluccius

• Common Name: European Hake, Herring Hake, Cornish Salmon, Whiting

• Found in: Eastern Atlantic, the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea

• Description: The European Hake is a slim bodied fish that have a large head. They have a large jaw on which they have a number of large curved teeth. Their lower jaws have two rows of teeth and the upper jaw has one row. They have a black branchial cavity and mouth. Their body is at its widest just behind their head. They have two dorsal fins - one high with a short base and triangular in shape and the other long. The first dorsal fin, with a single spine, has 7 - 10 fin rays. Their second dorsal fin has 36 - 40 fin rays and their anal fin has 36 - 40 fin rays. They can grow up to 71 inches and their average size is 39 inches. They are found in the eastern Atlantic from Norway and Iceland, south along the European coast to the Straits of Gibraltar and south along the west coast of Africa to Mauritania, the Mediterranean Sea and extends till the black sea. They are found at a depth between 230 ft and 1210 ft. They stay close to the bottom and become more active during the night and use more of the water column. 

They have a very long spawning period. The Mediterranean spawning begins in December and lasts in June. The Bay of Biscay spawning occurs between February - May; the western Iceland spawning in April - July; and the western Scotland spawning in May-August. The spawning in the Adriatic Sea occurs throughout the year but peaks in summer and winter. In the Mediterranean sea, the spawning occurs at a depth between 100 - 300m. In the Celtic Sea, the spawning occurs at a depth of 150m. They have a lifespan of around 20 years. The European Hake feeds on crustaceans such as krill, mysids and amphipods. 

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Merluccius Poli

• Common Name: Benguela hake

• Found in: South Africa

Merluccius Gayi

• Common Name: Gayi hake

• Found in:  North Pacific Ocean

Merluccius Angustimanus

• Common Name: Panama hake

• Found in: Mediterranean Sea

Merluccius Senegalensis

• Common Name: Senegalese hake

• Found in: Atlantic coast of western North Africa

Merluccius Capensis

• Common Name: Shallow-water Cape hake, South African hake

• Found in: The south-eastern Atlantic Ocean, along the coast of South Africa.

• Description: They are long, lean fish with a large head. They are similar to the European Hake and Deep-water Hake in appearance. They can grow up to a maximum length of about 120 cm and their average length is about 50cm. Their first dorsal fin has a single spine with 9 - 11 soft rays. Their second dorsal fin has 38 - 43 soft rays. The anal fins of the shallow water hakes have no spine and have 37 - 41 soft rays. The caudal fin is slightly concave. The range of the shallow water cape hakes extends southwards along the coast and into the Indian ocean. They live close to the bottom on the continental shelf and upper slope at depths of between 50 to 500m. They feed on small, deep-sea fishes and crustaceans. They migrate daily and are nektonic by night. They spawn from mid-spring to early summer. 

Merluccius Australis

• Common Name: Southern hake

• Found in: Chile

Hake Fish: Health Benefits

• The hake fish is one of the good sources of protein, minerals, essential fatty acids and fat-soluble vitamins like vitamin A, E and D.

• They are deep water fish - non-oily in nature and low in calories and saturated fats.

• The lean meat of the hake fish is a good source of polyunsaturated fatty acids. They can reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke, obesity and hypertension. They also have omega3 fatty acids which are very good for health.

• They contain only 0.079 ppm of mercury.

• The hake fish is a source of EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid), DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), DPA (docosapentaenoic acid) and omega3 fatty acids. These fatty acids play an important role in the development of the nervous system.

• They contain B-complex vitamins such as Niacin, Pyridoxine (B-6), and vitamin-E, vitamin-B12, Thiamin, and Riboflavin. 

• The hake fishes are also a natural source of rich minerals such as iodine, calcium, zinc, potassium, phosphorus, and magnesium.

Hake: Consumption and Uses

The hake fish is a highly demanding fish in the European market. They are sold primarily as fresh, frozen and fillet. It is also a common fish in the Argentinian market. Hake Milanesa is one of the national dishes of Argentina. Spain consumes nearly 6kgs of hake per person per year. 

Fun Fact

Though the fun fact is about hake, it is not about the fish! Yes, you read it right. The fact is that hake is not only the name of a fish but a surname too. It is a surname of nomadic and English origin. It is derived from the old Norse word “haki”. The Norse mythology defines hake, haki or haco as the Scandinavian sea - king. 

Some people also connect hake with the word “hook” - a word related to the fishing industry.