{"id":273,"date":"2026-03-06T11:03:41","date_gmt":"2026-03-06T11:03:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gov.fk\/fisheries\/?page_id=273"},"modified":"2026-03-06T11:03:42","modified_gmt":"2026-03-06T11:03:42","slug":"hake","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.gov.fk\/fisheries\/overview\/commercial-species\/hake\/","title":{"rendered":"Common Hake – HAK"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Home<\/a><\/span> \u00bb Overview<\/a><\/span> \u00bb Commercial Species<\/a><\/span> \u00bb Common Hake – HAK<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Common Hake – HAK<\/h1>\n\n\n
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Common Names<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Common hake (UK), Merluza (SP), Morsczuk (PD), Meru (JA)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scientific Name<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Merluccius hubbsi<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Description<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Medium sized snout, eye and mouth. Thick body with soft flesh and large scales which slough off easily. Two dorsal fins, separated by a notch; second dorsal fin with 34 to 40 fin rays. Anal fin with long base, and 36 to 41 fin rays. Two to 5 gill rakers on upper arch, 9-12 on lower arch (total = 12-16). Tip of pectoral fin in individuals over 40 cm does not reach anal fin origin. Body colouration silvery-grey below, to light brown\/silver above.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Size Range<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

30 to 110 cm. Generally 45 – 55 cm when caught in big shoals. Larger specimens caught occasionally around Loligo and other fisheries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Depth Range<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Generally around 200 m, but found from 50 to 500 m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Distribution<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Shoals and fishery based to west of the FICZ, where they migrate down from the Argentinean Zone. May also be found around Beauch\u00eane Island in smaller quantities; the larger specimens are generally found there too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fishery Status<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Major finfish fishery in the FICZ, March to September being the main months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additional Information<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Difficult to separate from Merluccius australis (Patagonian Hake), which is very similar in size and shape. A project is currently under way to determine the important features which differentiate the two species. Due to the efforts of migration this species can, at times, appear undernourished and flabby. Sometimes may appear bluish due to net damage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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For more information, please contact
the Fisheries Department<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ll find our office hours, location, and full contact details below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Contact us<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Common Names Common hake (UK), Merluza (SP), Morsczuk (PD), Meru (JA) Scientific Name Merluccius hubbsi Description Medium sized snout, eye…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":240,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-273","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHake Commercial Species - Falkland Islands<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Overview of the hake (Merluccius hubbsi) fishery in Falkland Islands waters and how this important finfish species is managed.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.fk\/fisheries\/overview\/commercial-species\/hake\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Hake Commercial Species - 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