Black hake

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Black hake
Dissostichus eleginoides

Dissostichus eleginoides

Systematics
Perch relatives (Percomorphaceae)
Order : Perch-like (Perciformes)
Subordination : Antarctic fish (Notothenioidei)
Family : Antarctic cod (Nototheniidae)
Genre : Dissostichus
Type : Black hake
Scientific name
Dissostichus eleginoides
Smitt , 1898

The black hake ( Dissostichus eleginoides ) is a representative of the Antarctic cod (Nototheniidae) and thus belongs to the perch-like (Perciformes), so it is not related to the hake . It is a maximum of two meters long and lives mainly in the waters around the Antarctic , off the coasts of Chile and Patagonia and the Falkland Islands at depths of 300 to over 1000 meters.

features

The black hake reaches an average length of about 70 centimeters, the maximum measured length is about 215 centimeters. The maximum weight is 9.6 kilograms. This makes it one of the largest species of Antarctic cod. It is an elongated marine fish with a height that is approximately 16 to 20% of the standard length of the fish. The head is flattened and elongated, its length is about a third of the standard length. The color is brown-gray, with a more or less distinct darker mark.

The superficial sensory channels of the head are elongated. The eye has a length that corresponds to a sixth to a fifth of the length of the head. The mouth is large with the upper jaw reaching back to under the middle or back of the eye. The teeth in the upper jaw stand in two rows (biseriell), those of the outer row are enlarged. There is a group of stronger canine teeth on each premaxilla. The lower jaw is very prominent, the teeth in the lower jaw are single-row and dog-like.

The spine consists of 53 to 54 vertebrae. The species has two dorsal fins , the front has eight to eleven flexible fin spines and the second 26 to 30 soft rays. The anal fin consists of 26 to 30 fin rays without hard spines. The pectoral fins are large and fan-shaped, they have 24 rays and are significantly larger than the pelvic fins . The caudal fin is shortened. the body is completely covered with large and more or less smooth scales. There are two side lines on the sides of the body , the lower one begins below or in front of the middle of the second dorsal fin. In the upper sideline there are 88-104 and in the lower 61-77 tubular scales. The surface of the head, with the exception of the muzzle and the pre-orbital region, as well as the cheeks, are covered with small scales. There are two elongated, flaky areas symmetrically on the top of the head.

distribution

The black hake is common in marine regions of the southern hemisphere in the southern Pacific and Atlantic . The distribution area includes in the southeast Pacific and southwest Atlantic ocean regions off southern Chile , the coast of Patagonia , Argentina , and around the Falkland Islands . In the southwestern Pacific, the species occurs around Macquarie Island and in the Southern Ocean in the area around South Georgia and the sub-Antarctic islands .

Way of life

The fish are marine fish that live as pelagic and oceanodromic migratory fish in cold sea areas of the southern hemisphere. They live at depths of 50 to about 3850 meters, but usually up to about 1500 meters.

With a body length of 12 to 15 centimeters, the semi-pelagic juvenile fish shift their habitat to greater depths of 150 to 400 meters and become demersal. The fish reach sexual maturity at a length of 38 to 60 centimeters, and the females can spawn for the first time between eight and ten years of age. Adult fish live at depths over 1000 meters. The maximum documented age of the species is 31 years.

Systematics

The black hake is regarded as an independent species within the genus Dissostichus within the Antarctic cod (Nototheniidae). The first scientific description comes from Fredrik Adam Smitt from 1898. Dissostichus amissus Gill & Townsend, 1901 is a synonym of the species.

Use, exposure and protection

The black hake is a popular food fish . It is mainly fished in the area of ​​the South American coasts and in the sub-Antarctic sea areas, with the largest amounts coming from the Patagonian coastal shelf. Together with the giant Antarctic cod ( Dissostichus mawsoni ), the fish was sometimes fished very intensively, often illegally because of its high price. According to estimates by Australian Ministers Warwick Parer and Alexander Downer in 1998, it was on the verge of economic extinction. In 1995 catches were more than 44,000 tons and reached their maximum, after which they decreased to around 30,000 tons in 1997 and then increased again to more than 40,000 tons per year by 2001. From 2002 they decreased significantly and in the following years they leveled off at 22,000 to 25,000 tons per year.

Between 2014 and 2016, the marine conservation organization Sea Shepherd managed to bring six ships that illegally hunted black hake to the prosecution and thereby set the record for the longest chase at sea. The poachers were fined a total of 46 million euros.

supporting documents

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g Black Hake on Fishbase.org (English); accessed on November 18, 2019.
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g Dissostichus eleginoides , data sheet on fao.org; accessed on November 18, 2019.
  3. ↑ Sea Shepherd vessel breaks record for longest sea chase, captain says it 'shut down illegal fishing in Antarctica'. Retrieved June 20, 2020 (Canadian English).
  4. ↑ Fish Mafia . ( heyn.at [accessed June 20, 2020]).
  5. ↑ Officers of Thunder sentenced to jail and fined 15m Euros. In: Coalition of Legal Toothfish Operators - Supporting sustainable toothfish (Chilean Seabass) fisheries. October 12, 2015, accessed June 20, 2020 (Australian English).
  6. ^ Joe Duggan: End of the line for Spain's most notorious illegal fishing family. In: Olive Press News Spain. April 4, 2016, Retrieved June 20, 2020 (UK English).
  7. ↑ Vidal Armadores - banned, fined and awaiting trial. Retrieved June 20, 2020 (UK English).
  8. ↑ Spanish tycoon hit with USD 10 million fine for illegal fishing. Retrieved June 20, 2020 .
  9. ↑ ECO: Spanish Government Levies Massive Fines Against Notorious Poachers. Retrieved June 20, 2020 (UK English).

literature

  • G. Bruce Knecht: Raid. The most expensive fish in the world and the hunt for its hunters ("hooked"). Fischer-Taschenbuchverlag, Frankfurt / M. 2008, ISBN 978-3-596-17597-0 .
  • Eskil Engdal, Kjetil Saeter: Fish Mafia. The hunt for the unscrupulous profiteers on our oceans . Campus Verlag, ISBN 978-3-593-50671-5

Movies

  • Eco-Crimes - Crimes against Nature , ARD, 2008 deals specifically with catching in the Australian territories around the island of Heard, where catching this species - unlike in international waters - is not permitted - according to the article.
  • Ocean Warriors: Chasing the Thunder. Vulcan Production 2018 deals with the detention of six poaching vessels that were illegally hunting black hake. The main focus will be on Sea Shepherd's 110 day chase of the Thunder .

Web links