silver hake
Merluccius bilinearis
A hake of sandy bottoms in the northwestern Atlantic, from Canada to the Bahamas, heavily exploited by commercial fishing.
Also called: merluza-prateada, merluza americana, merluza norteamericana, silver hake
- common size
- 37–65 cm
- maximum
- 76 cm
- record/max.
- 2.3 kg
- depth
- 55–914 m
who is the silver hake
A hake of the family Merlucciidae, with an elongated body and a large head, which lives on sandy bottoms and makes seasonal migrations between the coast and the open sea. It reaches 76 cm and up to 2.3 kg. It is a voracious and cannibalistic predator: specimens over 40 cm eat fish, such as cod and herring, and smaller ones eat crustaceans. It has great commercial value, is sold fresh, smoked and frozen, and part of the catch is exported to European markets.
Essential profile. Identification, where it occurs and rules, with data from FishBase and the cited regulations. Season, time of day, technique and bait are added once we have a good source for the silver hake.
identification
A silvery fish, with a slightly brownish back and a whitish belly. It has a large head, about a third of the standard length, and long pectoral fins that reach the base of the anal fin. These long fins and the large head are the clues for recognizing it among the hakes of the region.
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Each card shows the day's index (0 to 100) and, below it, a strip with the index for each hour, from 0h to 23h. from poor to excellent.
Essential profile: the index uses a general fish model (weather, sun, moon and tide), without a season or time of day specific to this species.
where found
The area is in the northwestern Atlantic, from Canada to the Bahamas, on sandy bottoms.
Habitat: Sandy bottoms of the shelf and slope, between 55 and 914 m deep.
rules for the silver hake
Summary of the regulations we found, with the source for each. Rules change; before keeping or transporting fish, check with the state environmental agency.
We found no species-specific rule beyond the region's general rules.
catch and release
catch and release Releasing the fish alive, quickly and with a wet hand. During a closed season it isn't always allowed: what the regulation says applies.
No dangerous spines. If it is hooked at depth, ascent causes barotrauma, so release it carefully.
in the kitchen
Sold fresh, smoked and frozen, and part is exported to Europe.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.0049, b = 3.1; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa da própria espécie)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
estimated weight
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sources and references
Essential profile: size, length-weight, depth, countries and conservation come from FishBase and the cited regulations, and the texts were written from those sources. Season, time of day, sensitivities, technique and baits and lures are not included yet, because we did not find a good source for this species.
- scientific FishBase: Merluccius bilinearis (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Merluccius bilinearisNames by country and language.