While hake has long had culinary strongholds, especially in southern Europe, the rising price of cod has meant that more mainstream whitefish distributors are turning to hake to help fill the gap.

With at least five distinct commercial species, each boasting different geographic ranges and traits, hake make for a valuable source of whitefish. This is aided by the fact that many of the world’s diverse range of hake fisheries are certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC).

A slow-growing fish, reaching up to 115 cm over a lifespan of around 14 years, hake undertake daily vertical migration, aggregating close to the seabed during daylight hours before dispersing up through the water column at night to feed on fish and plankton. This has led to the development of a range of fishing techniques – from bottom trawling, to longlining and gillnetting.

One fish, five key species

Here in Northwest Europe, it’s the European hake (Merluccius merluccius) that’s the most familiar of the hake tribe. Native to the Northeast Atlantic and Mediterranean, the species is the archetypal “merluza” that’s often found whole in fish counters in Spain, France and Italy. EU landings of the species were around 135,000 tonnes in 2022 and several of Europe’s hake fisheries – including Galicia’s line-caught and Cornwall’s gillnet hake fisheries – are MSC-certified.

The South Atlantic, on the other hand, is home to the two species of Cape hake (Merluccius capensis and M. paradoxus). Caught mainly off South Africa and Namibia, they are part of one of the world’s best-known certified demersal trawl and longline fisheries. South Africa’s has been MSC-certified since 2004 and Namibia’s since 2020. Between them, these fisheries typically harvest around 145,000 tonnes each year. The majority of Cape hake are exported, mainly to Europe, where they are valued for being mild, firm and versatile.

Meanwhile, the western seaboard of North America is home to Pacific hake (Merluccius productus), also known as Pacific whiting. Found from British Columbia to Baja California, this is the largest single fishery on the US West Coast, with commercial landings of around 213,000 tonnes in 2023. First MSC certified in 2009, it’s dominated by midwater trawl techniques. A large share of this tonnage goes into surimi and block products rather than premium fillets.

The Peruvian hake (Merluccius gayi peruanus) and Chilean common hake (Merluccius gayi gayi) are the main hake subspecies in the South Pacific – ranging from northern Peru to the Chiloé archipelago in southern Chile. Both support small fisheries, and Chile’s is dominated by a fleet of artisanal vessels.

Finally, the Argentine hake (Merluccius hubbsi) is distributed along the Southwest Atlantic, with Argentina setting a total allowable catch (TAC) of around 319,000 tonnes in 2024. Much of this is exported to Spain, with whole, gutted fish and commodity fillets being the usual cuts.

A supplier’s perspective

As a spokesperson for Pittman Seafoods, one of Europe’s top suppliers, reflects, hake is currently experiencing something of a renaissance.

“We are always looking for new species for our processing line. Alaskan pollock is still our number one whitefish in terms of volume and is very competitive. Cod is becoming more scarce and more expensive – we have noticed that hake is a very good alternative.

“While we’ve had North American hake in our portfolio for many years, we are also starting to source Peruvian and Cape hake, which we process into portions.”

Conclusion

What’s clear is that these five hake species each provide a valuable link in the global whitefish supply chain – slotting between premium cod/haddock and lower cost pollock – while offering chefs a mild, flaky flesh that takes well to frying, baking and stewing.