Range and Identity
Merluccius productus occurs along the northeastern Pacific coast from Mexican waters northward. NOAA includes Gulf of Alaska occurrence, extending beyond the narrower outline in an older compiled account. A range description should retain the source and date rather than treat an old boundary as permanent.
Habitat and Behavior
Large schools use waters over the continental shelf and slope. Seasonal movements bring many fish northward and closer to shore to feed, with movement varying by age and ocean conditions. Being classified with groundfish does not mean the species always rests on the seafloor.
Food and Life History
Shrimp, krill and schooling fishes provide food, with fish prey becoming more important as hake grow. The female upper reference reaches 105 centimeters total length, and the independent mass reference is 4.2 kilograms. Spawning observations differ geographically, so one southern spawning area is not an exclusive species-wide location.
Field Note
Record the season and size composition of a school. Both help interpret differences between offshore spawning observations and feeding aggregations along the shelf.
All Lakes With Pacific Hake
Browse all lakes and reservoirs with confirmed Pacific Hake records in our database, listed alphabetically.
No published lakes are currently linked to this species in our confirmed records.