Merluccius merluccius
European hake | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Actinopterygii |
Order: | Gadiformes |
Family: | Merlucciidae |
Genus: | Merluccius |
Species: | M. merluccius
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Binomial name | |
Merluccius merluccius (Linnaeus, 1758)
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Synonyms | |
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Merluccius merluccius, the European hake, is a
Description
Merluccius merluccius is a slim-bodied fish with a large head and large jaws on which are set a number of large curved teeth,
Distribution
Merluccius merluccius is found in the eastern Atlantic from Norway and Iceland, south along the European coast to the
Habitat and biology
The European hake is normally found at depths of between 70 m (230 ft) and 370 m (1,210 ft), although it may also occur within a wider range of depths, being found from inshore waters as shallow as 30 m (98 ft) down to 1,000 m (3,300 ft). During the day it stays close to the bottom and at night it becomes more active and uses more of the water column. This species has a very long spawning period which differs between populations, spawning occurs latest in the more northerly populations, in the Mediterranean spawning lasts from December to June, February–May in the Bay of Biscay, April–July off western Iceland, and May–August off western Scotland.[1] In the Adriatic Sea spawning occurs throughout the year but peaks in summer and winter. The female hake are partial spawners which can lay eggs four or five times during a spawning season with rests in between.[5] Spawning occurs between 100 and 300 m depth in the Mediterranean and in the Celtic Sea at depths no greater than 150 m (490 ft) .[1] In the Adriatic the recruitment of young hake into the breeding stock has two peaks, the first peak occurs in the spring and the second one in the autumn.[5] Juveniles live on muddy bottoms up to the age of three years old when they move towards the coast. Most females attain sexual maturity during their seventh year at around 57 cm (22 in) in length, while for males this occurs in their fifth year and on attaining a length of 40 cm (16 in) in the Atlantic, whereas in the Mediterranean, males mature at 26–27 cm (10–11 in) and females at 36–40 cm (14–16 in). The females are faster growing than the males and each female has a fecundity which is reported as 2 to 7 million eggs per female.[6] They live to a maximum age of 20 years old.[1]
The principal spawning grounds are in the southern portion of its range in the canyons and rocky bottoms of the Bay of Biscay in the shelf break area. The maximum production of eggs occurs at depths of approximately 200 m (660 ft). The larvae are either deposited in the nursery areas of the Bay of Biscay or swept further out to sea, depending on the direction of the current. The more larvae deposited in the nursery areas is highly correlated with successful recruitment of adult hake into the population. After two months, the eggs hatch and the juvenile hake demonstrate a diel vertical migration, staying near the muddy bottoms during daylight hours and ascending to feed at shallower depths during the night. The adults also prefer to rest near the bottom during the day but they do not ascend to as near the surface as the juveniles[1] Individual hake may be seen foraging alone near the seabed but higher in the water column they tend to feed in shoals.[3]
Small European hake up to 16 cm (6.3 in) long, those less than a year old, feed mostly on crustaceans such as
As the hake grows larger fish become more important in the diet, hake with total lengths of between 16 cm (6.3 in) and 35.9 cm (14.1 in) have diets dominated by clupeids, especially pilchards and anchovies. Once a length of 36 cm (14 in) was attained the fish had shifted to an entirely piscivorous diet and the favoured prey changed to
Parasites
Merluccius merluccius
Fisheries
Merluccius merluccius is one of the most important demersal quarry species for fisheries over the western European continental shelf and this means that it is extensively studied.
Conservation
The northern European hake stock has recovered since the introduction of measures in 2001.
Use as food
European hake is mainly sold in its fresh form, but it may also be frozen, dried, salted and canned.
A medium-sized hake, known in Spanish as pescadilla, is often presented with its mouth biting its tail receiving the name of pescadilla de rosca ("torus hake").[18] La pescadilla que se muerde la cola, "the hake that bites its tail", is a proverbial Spanish expression for circular reasoning and vicious circles.[19]
References
- ^ .
- ^ ISBN 978-1-85585-364-5.
- ^ a b Barnes, M.K.S. (2008). Tyler-Walters H.; Hiscock K. (eds.). "Merluccius merluccius European Hake". Marine Life Information Network: Biology and Sensitivity Key Information Reviews. Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
- ^ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2018). "Merluccius merluccius" in FishBase. February 2018 version.
- ^ a b c d e "Merluccius merluccius (Linnaeus, 1758) - (Sin. Merluccius vulgaris Fleming, 1818)". Adriamed Scientific Cooperation to Support Responsible Fisheries in the Adriatic Sea. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
- ^ ISBN 978-92-5-102890-2. Archived from the original(PDF) on July 20, 2021. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
- .
- PMID 20959157.
- ^ a b Paolo Carpentieri; Francesco Colloca; Massimiliano Cardinale; Andrea Belluscio & Giandomenico D. Ardizzone (2005). "Feeding habits of European hake (Merluccius merluccius) in the central Mediterranean Sea" (PDF). Fishery Bulletin. 103 (2): 411–416.
- ^ L. Hill & M.F. Borges (2000). A comparison of the seasonal abundance of hake (Merluccius merluccius) and its main prey species off the Portuguese coast (PDF). ICES CM 2000.
- ^ van Wely, F. P. H. Prick (1951). Cassell's English-Dutch, Dutch-English dictionary. London: Cassell.
- ^ Chambers, W. & R. (1872). Chambers's encyclopedia. Edinburgh: W & R Chambers.
- hdl:10256/10124.
- ^ a b c d Bill Lart; Karen Green (2013). "Responsible Sourcing Guide: Hake" (PDF). www.seafish.org. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
- .
- ^ a b "Species Fact Sheets Merluccius merluccius (Linnaeus, 1758)". FAO FishFinder. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Fish and Aquaculture Department. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
- ^ CJ Jackson. "Hake recipes". BBC. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
- ^ Spínola Bruzón, Carlos. "Pescadilla; entre pijota y pescada.- Grupo Gastronómico Gaditano". grupogastronomicogaditano.com (in European Spanish). Grupo Gastronómico Gaditano. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
La pescadilla se fríe en forma de rosca, de modo que la cola esté cogida por los dientes del pez.
- ^ "pescadilla". Diccionario de la lengua española (in Spanish) (24th ed.). RAE-ASALE. 2014. Retrieved 28 October 2021.