Merluccius australis

Merluccius australis
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Gadiformes
Family:	Merlucciidae
Genus:	Merluccius
Species:	M. australis
Binomial name
	Merluccius australis; (Hutton, 1872)
Synonyms
	Gadus australisHutton, 1872; Merlangius australis(Hutton, 1872); Merluccius polylepis Ginsburg, 1954;

Last updated August 27, 2023

Merluccius australis, the southern hake, is a species of fish from the family Merlucciidae, the true hakes. It is found in the southern Pacific and Atlantic Oceans with two disjunct populations, one around southern South America and the other in the waters around New Zealand.

Description

Merluccius australis has a more slender body compared to other species of Merluccius, with a short head which is makes up around a quarter of its standard length and a protruding lower jaw with some visible teeth. The anterior dorsal fin has a single spine and 9 to 12 fin rays and the posterior dorsal fin has 39 to 45 fin rays. The anal fin has 40 to 46 fin rays and the pectoral fins are long and thin, but they do not reach as far as the origin of anal fin in specimens longer than 50 cm standard length. The caudal fin margin is normally truncate, but in smaller specimens it can be slightly emarginate. The scales are small and there are 144 to 171 scales along the lateral line. They have a steel grey back which is tinged with blue, paler on sides, and a silvery white belly with dark fins. It grows to a maximum length of 160 cm but lengths of between 60 cm and 100 cm are more commonly recorded.^[2]^[3]

Distribution

Merluccius australis has two distinct populations one in New Zealand and the other in the eastern South Pacific and western South Atlantic. The New Zealand population is found over the Chatham Rise, Campbell Plateau and around South Island north to the East Cape, the South American population extends from Chiloé Island south to 59°S in the Pacific, around Cape Horn and north to 38°S in the South Atlantic.^[1] It is also found off the Falkland Islands.^[3]

Habitat and biology

Merluccius australis occurs at depths between 415 and 1 000 m with temperatures at the bottom of 5.8 to 8.0 °C off New Zealand and 62 to 800 m with bottom temperatures 3.8 to 9.0 °C in South American waters. The adults are probably migratory, moving south to feed during the Austral summer and returning north in the winter to spawn. Off South America spawning takes place from May to August south of 47°S, in three separate areas. The spawning areas are situated in fjords and channels. They reach sexual maturity at around 65 cm in length for males and 85 cm for females, around 6 years of age.^[3] The sex ratio is skewed towards females. The adults are predatory, feeding on southern blue whiting, whiptails, nototheniids and squid. Off New Zealand population the population spawns from July to August in the waters west of South Island at depths from 800 to 1000m, and here they also feed mainly on fish, particularly gadoids but also on squid, krill and benthic invertebrates.^[2] On the northern part of the Campbell Plateau spawning occurs between September and November and at the Chatham Rise between November and January.^[1] They can live as long as 28 years.^[3]

Taxonomy

Merluccius australis has two subspecies according to some authorities:^[3]

Merluccius australis australisHutton, 1872, New Zealand
Merluccius australis polylepisGinsburg, 1954, South America

However, the existence of separate populations made up of differently sized individuals off the east and west coasts of New Zealand suggest that M. australis may not be a single species.^[3]

A new species of hake which was said to be largely sympatric with M. australis but which was also said to be found off Japan was described in 2006, Merluccius tasmanicus , but this taxon is not universally accepted a valid and it may be a synonym of M. australis.^[4]

Fisheries

In New Zealand M. australis are caught almost exclusively by large trawlers, which both target this species and take it as by‐catch when the primary target species such as hoki ( Macruronus novaezelandiae ) and southern blue whiting (Micromesistius australis). The population off the west coast of South Island has been estimated to have an unfished biomass of 88,900 tonnes and this fishery consistently produces the greatest annual landings. The Sub‐Antarctic population is the largest of the three populations and has an estimated unfished spawning biomass of 94,200 tonnes, however this stock has probably undergone the lowest levels of fishing. The third stock, in the area of the Chatham Rise is the smallest and has an unfished biomass of 37,000 tonnes has suffered the heaviest exploitation and is currently considered to be in a rebuilding phase.^[5]

The South American population is targeted by fisheries mainly from by Argentina and Chile. The annual catch reached a peak in 1987 but has now stabilised at between 3000 tonnes and 4000 tonnes in the Atlantic and around 25000 tonnes in the Pacific.^[3] Caught with trawls and marketed fresh, frozen, and as fishmeal.^[2]

Related Research Articles

The term hake refers to fish in the:

The Merlucciidae, commonly called merluccid hakes, are a family of cod-like fish, including most hakes. They are native to cold water in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and typically are found at depths greater than 50 m (160 ft) in subtropical, temperate, sub-Arctic or sub-Antarctic regions.

The haddock is a saltwater ray-finned fish from the family Gadidae, the true cods. It is the only species in the monotypic genus Melanogrammus. It is found in the North Atlantic Ocean and associated seas, where it is an important species for fisheries, especially in northern Europe, where it is marketed fresh, frozen and smoked; smoked varieties include the Finnan haddie and the Arbroath smokie.

The orange roughy, also known as the red roughy, slimehead and deep sea perch, is a relatively large deep-sea fish belonging to the slimehead family (Trachichthyidae). The UK Marine Conservation Society has categorized orange roughy as "vulnerable to exploitation". It is found in 3 to 9 °C, deep waters of the Western Pacific Ocean, eastern Atlantic Ocean, Indo-Pacific, and in the eastern Pacific off Chile. The orange roughy is notable for its extraordinary lifespan, attaining over 200 years. It is important to commercial deep-trawl fisheries. The fish is a bright, brick-red color, fading to a yellowish-orange after death.

The common ling, also known as the white ling or simply the ling, is a large member of the family Lotidae, a group of cod-like fishes. It resembles the related rocklings, but it is much larger and has a single barbel. This species is unrelated to the pink ling, Genypterus blacodes, from the Southern Hemisphere. The common ling is found in the northern Atlantic, mainly off Europe, and into the Mediterranean Basin. It is an important quarry species for fisheries, especially in the northeastern Atlantic, although some doubts exist as to the sustainability of the fisheries. As an edible species, it is eaten fresh, frozen, or dried, but also preserved in lye, while the roe is a delicacy in Spain.

The North Pacific hake, Pacific hake, Pacific whiting, or jack salmon is a ray-finned fish in the genus Merluccius, found in the northeast Pacific Ocean from northern Vancouver Island to the northern part of the Gulf of California. It is a silver-gray fish with black speckling, growing to a length of 90 cm (3 ft). It is a migratory offshore fish and undergoes a daily vertical migration from the surface to the seabed at depths down to about 1,000 m (3,300 ft). It is the object of an important commercial fishery off the West Coast of the United States, and annual quotas are used to prevent overfishing.

The southern blue whiting is a codfish of the genus Micromesistius, found in the southern oceans with temperatures between 3 and 7 °C, at depths of 50 to 900 m. Its length is commonly between 30 and 60 cm, with a maximum length of 90 cm. Maximum weight is at least 1350 g.

The silver hake, Atlantic hake, or New England hake is a merluccid hake of the genus Merluccius, found in the northwest Atlantic Ocean. It is highly predatory and typically feeds on fish and crustaceans.

Merluccius is a genus of merluccid hakes from the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, where mainly found relatively deep.

Merluccius merluccius, the European hake, is a merluccid hake of the genus Merluccius. Other vernacular names include Cornish salmon and herring hake. It is a predatory species which was often netted alongside one of its favoured prey, the Atlantic herring, thus the latter common name. It is found in the eastern Atlantic from the Norway and Iceland south to Mauritania and into the Mediterranean Sea. It is an important species in European fisheries and is heavily exploited with some populations thought to be being fished unsustainably.

Merluccius capensis is a ray-finned fish in the genus Merluccius, found in the south-eastern Atlantic Ocean, along the coast of South Africa. It is a long, lean fish with a large head, similar in appearance to the European hake and the deep-water Cape hake. By day, it lives close to the bottom on the continental shelf and upper slope at depths not usually exceeding 400 m (1,300 ft); it makes a large, daily vertical migration rising at night to feed in the nectonic zone, and it also migrates southwards in spring and northwards in autumn. It is an important commercial fish species in southern Africa.

Merluccius paradoxus, the deep-water Cape hake, is a merluccid hake of the genus Merluccius, found in the south-eastern Atlantic Ocean, along the coast of Southern Africa, south of Angola. Its range extends in decreasing abundance around the southern coast of Africa and into the Indian Ocean, but it is at its most plentiful in the cold, nutrient-rich fishing grounds of the Benguela Current.

The Panama hake, also known as the dwarf hake, is a merluccid hake found off the west coast of the Americas from Del Mar, California, to Ensenada de Tumaco, Colombia.

Trachyrincus scabrus, the roughsnout grenadier or Mediterranean longsnout grenadier, is a species of bathydemersal marine fish from the subfamily Trachyrincinae, part of the family Macrouridae. It is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean.

Merluccius hernandezi, the Cortez hake, is a species of fish from the family Merlucciidae, the true hakes. It is endemic to the Gulf of California where it can be found in the epipelagic and mesopelagic zones over the continental shelf, open sea, and sea mounts, to a depth of around 300m. It is a small species which has been referred to as a "dwarf hake" and is of little interest to fisheries, other than small scale local fisheries. It was described in 1985 and small hake in the Gulf of California were previously considered to be Panama hakes. This species differs from the Panama hake in that in juveniles the caudal fin has a central lobe and is truncate in adults, whereas the caudal fin is emarginate in the Panama hake, its pectoral fin projects well beyond the anus in but does not do so in the Panama hake.

Merluccius patagonicus, the Patagonian hake, is a species of fish from the family Merlucciidae from the western South Atlantic which was described in 2003. However some authorities consider the distinguishing features of M. patagonicus to be within the range of variability for M. hubbsi and that M. patagonicus is therefore a synonym of M. hubbsi.

Merluccius polli, the Benguela hake, is a species of fish from the family Merlucciidae, the true hakes. It is found in the tropical waters of the eastern Atlantic Ocean off the west coast of Africa.

Merluccius senegalensis, the Senegalese hake, is a species of fish from the family Merlucciidae, the true hakes. It is found in the sub tropical waters of the eastern Atlantic Ocean off the north western coast of Africa.

Merluccius tasmanicus is a species of fish from the family Merlucciidae from the western Pacific and south-eastern Pacific and south-western Atlantic which was described in 2006. It is however considered to be synonymous with Merluccius australis by some authorities.

Lyconus brachycolus is a species of hake fish in the family Merlucciidae.

References

1 2 3 Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2018). "Merluccius australis" in FishBase . February 2018 version.
1 2 3 Daniel M. Cohen; Tadashi Inada; Tomio Iwamoto & Nadia Scialabba, eds. (1990). VOL.10 GADIFORM FISHES OF THE WORLD (Order Gadiformes) An Annotated and Illustrated Catalogue of Cods, Hakes, Grenadiers and other Gadiform Fishes Known to Date (PDF). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. pp. 332–334. ISBN 978-92-5-102890-2. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 20, 2021. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Domingo Lloris & J. Matallanas (2005). Hakes of the World (family Merlucciidae): An Annotated and Illustrated Catalogue of Hake Species Known to Date Issue 2 of FAO species catalogue for fishery purposes, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Food and Agriculture Organization. pp. 21–22. ISBN 978-9251049846.
↑ Mariana Y. Del Antoni; Matias Delpiani; Andrew L. Stewart & Juan Martin Díaz de Astarloa (2015). "Merluccius tasmanicus Matallanas & Lloris 2006 is a junior synonym of M. australis (Hutton 1872) (Gadiformes: Merluciidae) based on morphological and molecular data". Zootaxa. 3956 (1): 029–055. Abstract.
↑ Peter L. Horn (11 September 2015). "Southern hake ( Merluccius australis ) in New Zealand: Biology, fisheries and stock assessment". In Hugo Arancibia (ed.). Southern hake (Merluccius australis) in New Zealand: biology, fisheries and stock assessment. pp. 101–125. doi:10.1002/9781118568262.ch4. ISBN 9781118568262.{{cite book}}: |journal= ignored (help)

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[FishBase-1] 1 2 3 Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2018). "Merluccius australis" in FishBase . February 2018 version.

[FAO-2] 1 2 3 Daniel M. Cohen; Tadashi Inada; Tomio Iwamoto & Nadia Scialabba, eds. (1990). VOL.10 GADIFORM FISHES OF THE WORLD (Order Gadiformes) An Annotated and Illustrated Catalogue of Cods, Hakes, Grenadiers and other Gadiform Fishes Known to Date (PDF). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. pp. 332–334. ISBN 978-92-5-102890-2. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 20, 2021. Retrieved 2 April 2018.

[Lloris-3] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Domingo Lloris & J. Matallanas (2005). Hakes of the World (family Merlucciidae): An Annotated and Illustrated Catalogue of Hake Species Known to Date Issue 2 of FAO species catalogue for fishery purposes, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Food and Agriculture Organization. pp. 21–22. ISBN 978-9251049846.

[Antoni-4] Mariana Y. Del Antoni; Matias Delpiani; Andrew L. Stewart & Juan Martin Díaz de Astarloa (2015). "Merluccius tasmanicus Matallanas & Lloris 2006 is a junior synonym of M. australis (Hutton 1872) (Gadiformes: Merluciidae) based on morphological and molecular data". Zootaxa. 3956 (1): 029–055. Abstract.

[Horn-5] Peter L. Horn (11 September 2015). "Southern hake ( Merluccius australis ) in New Zealand: Biology, fisheries and stock assessment". In Hugo Arancibia (ed.). Southern hake (Merluccius australis) in New Zealand: biology, fisheries and stock assessment. pp. 101–125. doi:10.1002/9781118568262.ch4. ISBN 9781118568262.{{cite book}}: |journal= ignored (help)

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]