Pacific Hake

Pacific whiting, also known as Pacific hake, is a semi-pelagic groundfish of the Merlucciidae family. It is widely distributed from Baja California in Mexico, along the west coast of North America, and up to British Columbia and beyond. The main commercial stock is the migratory coastal stock shared by the United States and Canada. Besides the main coastal stock passing through Mexican waters in winter, there is a dwarf stock unique to the Baja California area. Unlike classic small pelagic species, Pacific whiting is associated with midwater and shelf waters and supports a large transboundary fishery rather than a purely local one.

Pacific whiting is used mainly for human consumption, especially in the production of frozen fillets, surimi, and other processed seafood products. It has far greater industrial importance than many other whitefish species and is one of the largest-volume fisheries on the U.S. West Coast. The species is also significant for Mexican fisheries, accounting for roughly 25% of the total commercial catch.

Pacific hake’s value is linked to its abundant biomass, mild white flesh, and the predictable seasonal migration of the stock. The fish migrate offshore and remain generally in southern waters during the winter spawning season, then move northward in spring to coastal feeding grounds between northern California and northern British Columbia, where the main fishery is conducted in spring, summer, and fall.

The main fishing nations are the United States, Canada, and Mexico, and the fishery is conducted by shore-based, at-sea, and tribal sectors. In U.S. federal waters, the non-tribal commercial Pacific whiting fisheries open on May 1 each year, which is why the main catching period is generally from spring through autumn.