Southern hake
| Southern hake | ||||||||||||
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Merluccius australis | ||||||||||||
| ( Hutton , 1872) |
The southern hake ( Merluccius australis ) is a species of the hake (Merlucciidae). This species is heavily fished because of its high quality meat, it is traded as edible fish or processed into fish meal.
features
The southern hake is usually around 1.2 to 1.3 meters long and weighs around 18 to 20 kilograms. The hake, which is quite slim for its genus, is steel-gray on the back, but becomes silver on the belly. The pectoral fins are long and narrow, in young specimens they reach to the anal fin. In animals over a length of 50 centimeters, the pectoral fins no longer reach the anal fin. The dorsal fin has 48 to 57 fin rays. The anal fin consists of 40 to 46 fin rays. The fish has 53 to 58 vertebrae and the gill rakes are short and have blunt tips. There are usually 12 to 14 gill rakes on the first gill arch.
distribution
The fish population is divided into two main populations. One can be found around New Zealand, more precisely from the Chatham Rise to the East Cape . The other population is home to the area around Patagonia. From the Chilean island of Chiloé in the north to the southern end of the continent.
Way of life
Both populations feed on fish, cephalopods, and soil-dwelling organisms. The New Zealand population lives at a depth of about 400 to 1000 meters. They migrate south in summer, likely to follow their food. In winter they return to the north to spawn, this happens from August to September. The Patagonian population is found at a depth of about 60 to 800 meters.
fishing
The current stocks are particularly fished by Chile, Argentina and New Zealand. The New Zealand population was estimated at 110,000 tons in 1987, today this population is estimated at around 64,000 tons. The Patagonian stocks have been fished for 25 years, in 1987 there were also around 110,000 tons. Today the stock is estimated at 115,000 tons. In 2014 around 23,000 tons of this species were fished.
Systematics
Merluccius australis is one of 15 species of the genus Merluccius within the hake (Merlucciidae).
literature
- Antal Vida: 365 fish . Tandem Verlag, Königswinter 2006, ISBN 3-8331-2070-3 , p. 176.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d Antal Vida: 365 fish ; Tandem Verlag 2006, ISBN 3-8331-2070-3 , p. 176.
- ↑ a b c d e Merluccius australis on Fishbase.org (English)
- ^ A b Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations: Merluccius australis (Hutton, 1872). FAO Departments and Offices, accessed July 5, 2017 .