European hake
Merluccius merluccius
- Usual depth41–190 m
- Water temperature8–20 °C
- Best monthsNovember
- How commonCommon
Photo credit: (c) Julien Renoult, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
About this species
Merluccius merluccius or the European hake is a merluccid hake of the genus Merluccius. Other vernacular names include Cornish salmon and herring hake. It is a predatory species, which was often netted alongside one of its favoured prey, the Atlantic herring, hence the latter common name. It is found in the eastern Atlantic from Norway and Iceland south to Mauritania and into the Mediterranean Sea. It is an important species in European fisheries and is heavily exploited, with some populations being fished unsustainably.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Merluccius merluccius”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article
Where and when
Where it has been recorded
Worldwide
Loading the map
Best months
Worldwide (open data)
- January: 345 records
- February: 1,121 records
- March: 1,713 records
- April: 199 records
- May: 325 records
- June: 537 records
- July: 619 records
- August: 875 records
- September: 5,103 records
- October: 4,561 records
- November: 9,812 records
- December: 1,681 records
Depth and water temperature
Depth
Mostly recorded at 41–190 m · Deepest record: 3,947.6 m
Water temperature
Recorded in surface water of 8–20 °C
Photos
(c) Duarte Frade, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
no rights reserved · CC0 1.0 · iNaturalist 
(c) Karim Haddad, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Gianmaria Bonari, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Karim Haddad, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Vsevolod Rudyi, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
Names and classification
- English
- European hake, Hake, Blue Ling, Cornish Salmon, European hake, Hake, hake, Herring Hake, Lesser Ling
Names in 4 more languages
- German
- Europäischer Seehecht, Hechtdorsch, Seehecht
- Spanish
- Alambolo, carioca, Carioca, Cria, Ilus, Iluz, Lejatxa, merluza, Merluza, merluza europea, Merluza europea, pescada, Pescada, pescadilla, Pescadilla, Pijota, Pijotilla, Pijoton, Pitillo
- French
- Abadioa, Ânon, Bardot, brochet de mer, Brochet de mer, Canapé, colin, Colin, Colinet, Hoglet, Merlan, merlu, Merlu, merlu blanc, Merlu blanc, merluche, Merluche, Merluchon, merluchón, Merluchon au colinet, Merlu Commun, merlu européen, Merlu européen, Merlu européen, Merlu blanc, Nasello, Únon
- Simplified Chinese
- 歐洲無鬚鱈
Other scientific names: Gadus byrkelange, Gadus merluccius, Gadus ruber, Hidronus marlucius, Hydronus marlucius, Merluccius argentatus, Merluccius esculentus, Merluccius linnei, Merluccius smiridus, Merluccius vulgaris, Merlucius esculentus, Merlucius lanatus, Merlucius sinuatus, Molva byrkelange, Onus riali, Trachinoides maroccanus, Trachinoides moroccanus
Similar species
Chilean hakeMerluccius australis
Chilean whitingMerluccius gayi
Sources and credits
Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).
- Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
- Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
- Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
- 389,298 open-data records from 1914 to 2024.
- Species data updated November 4, 2026.
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