North Pacific hake
Encyclopedia
The North Pacific hake, Pacific hake, or Pacific whiting, Merluccius productus, is a merluccid hake of the genus Merluccius, found in the north east Pacific Ocean
from northern Vancouver Island
to the northern part of the Gulf of California
.
s and a truncate caudal fin. Their pectoral fin tips usually reach to or beyond the origin of anal fin. The caudal fin is always concave.
North Pacific hake population is approximately 8.5 inches (21.5 cm), compared to 11.7 inches (29.8 cm) in the 1980s. Females mature at 3 to 4 years of age and 13.4 to 15.75 inches (34-40 cm) and nearly all males are mature by age 3 and as small as 11 inches (28 cm).
, plankton
and smaller fishes. They are an important prey item for sea lions, small cetaceans, and dogfish sharks.
There are three recognized stocks of Pacific hake: a highly migratory offshore (or coastal) stock that ranges from southern California to Queen Charlotte Sound, a central-south Puget Sound stock, and a Strait of Georgia (SOG) stock. The offshore North Pacific hake stock spawned off south-central California to Baja California in the winter months of January and February during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. In spring and summer adults migrated northward to feed to as far as central Vancouver Island
(and as far as Queen Charlotte Sound in some years). In the fall, adults migrated southward toward spawning grounds. Since the early 1990s a percentage of the offshore stock has remained off the west coast of Canada year round and some Pacific hake have been observed spawning off the west coast of Vancouver Island. Resident Pacific hake in Puget Sound spawn in Port Susan and Dabob Bay from February through April. The SOG resident stock aggregates to spawn in the deep basins of the south-central Strait of Georgia where peak spawning occurs from March to May.
Originally approved in 1982, the Groundfish FMP now manages over 90 different species through a number of measures, including harvest guidelines, quotas, trip and landing limits, area restrictions, seasonal closures, and gear restrictions (like minimum mesh size for nets). Annual quotas are the primary management tool used to limit the catch of whiting. Pacific whiting was declared overfished by the U.S. government in 2002. The stock was declared rebuilt and no longer depleted in 2004. The coast-wide (U.S. and Canada) Pacific whiting stock is assessed annually by a joint technical team of scientists from both countries.
In 2003, the United States and Canada signed an agreement that allocates a set percentage of the Pacific whiting catch to American and Canadian fishermen over the next decade and established a process for the review of science and the development of management recommendations. Beginning in late 2007, management of Pacific whiting and related science activities will be coordinated under the provisions of this international treaty with Canada.
The Marine Stewardship Council (www.MSC.org) certified the midwater Pacific Hake (whiting) fishery as sustainable on 21 October, 2009.
The local and state-managed Puget Sound and Strait of Georgia stocks are "species of concern" - species that NOAA Fisheries Service has concerns about regarding population status and threats but has insufficient information to indicate a need to list the species under the Endangered Species Act. There has been no directed commercial fishery for this stock since 1991.
received a petition to list the North Pacific hake under the Endangered Species Act
(ESA). The petition was denied on 24 November 2000 (65 FR 70514) but concerns and uncertainties remained. During the review for ESA listing, the Georgia Basin distinct population segment
was identified to include both the Puget Sound and Strait of Georgia stocks. The Georgia Basin DPS of the North Pacific hake (called Pacific hake by NMFS) was made a U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service Species of Concern. Species of Concern are those species about which the U.S. Government’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
, National Marine Fisheries Service
, has some concerns regarding status and threats, but for which insufficient information is available to indicate a need to list the species under the Endangered Species Act.
The expanding range of the Humboldt squid
is also a cause for concern. Humboldt squid are voracious predators of hake and can substantially reduce their populations.
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
from northern Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island is a large island in British Columbia, Canada. It is one of several North American locations named after George Vancouver, the British Royal Navy officer who explored the Pacific Northwest coast of North America between 1791 and 1794...
to the northern part of the Gulf of California
Gulf of California
The Gulf of California is a body of water that separates the Baja California Peninsula from the Mexican mainland...
.
Description
Its length is about 3 ft (90 cm) and they live up to 15 years. Coloration is metallic silver-gray with black speckling and pure silvery white on the belly. North Pacific hake have two dorsal finDorsal fin
A dorsal fin is a fin located on the backs of various unrelated marine and freshwater vertebrates, including most fishes, marine mammals , and the ichthyosaurs...
s and a truncate caudal fin. Their pectoral fin tips usually reach to or beyond the origin of anal fin. The caudal fin is always concave.
Reproduction
The North Pacific hake spawns from January to June. North Pacific hake may spawn more than once per season, so absolute fecundity is difficult to determine. Historically, inshore female Pacific hake matured at 15 inches (37 cm) and 4 to 5 years of age. Currently, length at 50% maturity for females in the Port SusanPort Susan
Port Susan is a bay and strait located in the U.S. state of Washington. Part of the Whidbey Island Basin of Puget Sound, Port Susan is bounded by Camano Island to the west and the mainland to the east. The Stillaguamish River empties into the northern end of Port Susan. To the south, Port Susan...
North Pacific hake population is approximately 8.5 inches (21.5 cm), compared to 11.7 inches (29.8 cm) in the 1980s. Females mature at 3 to 4 years of age and 13.4 to 15.75 inches (34-40 cm) and nearly all males are mature by age 3 and as small as 11 inches (28 cm).
Ecology
They occur from the surface to depths of 1000 m (3,280.8 ft). North Pacific hake are nocturnal feeders that undergo diel vertical migrations off the bottom in order to feed on a variety of fishes and invertebrates. Its diet includes shrimpShrimp
Shrimp are swimming, decapod crustaceans classified in the infraorder Caridea, found widely around the world in both fresh and salt water. Adult shrimp are filter feeding benthic animals living close to the bottom. They can live in schools and can swim rapidly backwards. Shrimp are an important...
, plankton
Plankton
Plankton are any drifting organisms that inhabit the pelagic zone of oceans, seas, or bodies of fresh water. That is, plankton are defined by their ecological niche rather than phylogenetic or taxonomic classification...
and smaller fishes. They are an important prey item for sea lions, small cetaceans, and dogfish sharks.
There are three recognized stocks of Pacific hake: a highly migratory offshore (or coastal) stock that ranges from southern California to Queen Charlotte Sound, a central-south Puget Sound stock, and a Strait of Georgia (SOG) stock. The offshore North Pacific hake stock spawned off south-central California to Baja California in the winter months of January and February during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. In spring and summer adults migrated northward to feed to as far as central Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island is a large island in British Columbia, Canada. It is one of several North American locations named after George Vancouver, the British Royal Navy officer who explored the Pacific Northwest coast of North America between 1791 and 1794...
(and as far as Queen Charlotte Sound in some years). In the fall, adults migrated southward toward spawning grounds. Since the early 1990s a percentage of the offshore stock has remained off the west coast of Canada year round and some Pacific hake have been observed spawning off the west coast of Vancouver Island. Resident Pacific hake in Puget Sound spawn in Port Susan and Dabob Bay from February through April. The SOG resident stock aggregates to spawn in the deep basins of the south-central Strait of Georgia where peak spawning occurs from March to May.
Fisheries
Pacific whiting supports one of the most important commercial fisheries off the West Coast of the United States. There are three recognized stocks of Pacific whiting: a highly migratory offshore (or coastal) stock that ranges from southern Baja California to Queen Charlotte Sound, a central-south Puget Sound stock, and a Strait of Georgia stock. The latter two stocks are managed by state and local management agencies, but the offshore, or coastal, fishery in U.S. waters is managed by the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) through its Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan (FMP).Originally approved in 1982, the Groundfish FMP now manages over 90 different species through a number of measures, including harvest guidelines, quotas, trip and landing limits, area restrictions, seasonal closures, and gear restrictions (like minimum mesh size for nets). Annual quotas are the primary management tool used to limit the catch of whiting. Pacific whiting was declared overfished by the U.S. government in 2002. The stock was declared rebuilt and no longer depleted in 2004. The coast-wide (U.S. and Canada) Pacific whiting stock is assessed annually by a joint technical team of scientists from both countries.
In 2003, the United States and Canada signed an agreement that allocates a set percentage of the Pacific whiting catch to American and Canadian fishermen over the next decade and established a process for the review of science and the development of management recommendations. Beginning in late 2007, management of Pacific whiting and related science activities will be coordinated under the provisions of this international treaty with Canada.
The Marine Stewardship Council (www.MSC.org) certified the midwater Pacific Hake (whiting) fishery as sustainable on 21 October, 2009.
The local and state-managed Puget Sound and Strait of Georgia stocks are "species of concern" - species that NOAA Fisheries Service has concerns about regarding population status and threats but has insufficient information to indicate a need to list the species under the Endangered Species Act. There has been no directed commercial fishery for this stock since 1991.
Conservation
Overharvesting is the main threat to North Pacific hake. The National Marine Fisheries ServiceNational Marine Fisheries Service
The National Marine Fisheries Service is a United States federal agency. A division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Department of Commerce, NMFS is responsible for the stewardship and management of the nation's living marine resources and their habitat within the...
received a petition to list the North Pacific hake under the Endangered Species Act
Endangered Species Act
The Endangered Species Act of 1973 is one of the dozens of United States environmental laws passed in the 1970s. Signed into law by President Richard Nixon on December 28, 1973, it was designed to protect critically imperiled species from extinction as a "consequence of economic growth and...
(ESA). The petition was denied on 24 November 2000 (65 FR 70514) but concerns and uncertainties remained. During the review for ESA listing, the Georgia Basin distinct population segment
Distinct population segment
A distinct population segment is the smallest division of a taxonomic species permitted to be protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Species, as defined in the Act for listing purposes, is a taxonomic species or subspecies of plant or animal, or in the case of vertebrate species, a...
was identified to include both the Puget Sound and Strait of Georgia stocks. The Georgia Basin DPS of the North Pacific hake (called Pacific hake by NMFS) was made a U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service Species of Concern. Species of Concern are those species about which the U.S. Government’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , pronounced , like "noah", is a scientific agency within the United States Department of Commerce focused on the conditions of the oceans and the atmosphere...
, National Marine Fisheries Service
National Marine Fisheries Service
The National Marine Fisheries Service is a United States federal agency. A division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Department of Commerce, NMFS is responsible for the stewardship and management of the nation's living marine resources and their habitat within the...
, has some concerns regarding status and threats, but for which insufficient information is available to indicate a need to list the species under the Endangered Species Act.
The expanding range of the Humboldt squid
Humboldt Squid
The Humboldt squid , also known as jumbo squid, jumbo flying squid, pota or diablo rojo , is a large, predatory squid found in the waters of the Humboldt Current in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. They are most commonly found at depths of , from Tierra del Fuego to California...
is also a cause for concern. Humboldt squid are voracious predators of hake and can substantially reduce their populations.