Hake
The Catch
My research led me to Cornish Hake and how the fishing industry have totally changed the sustainability of this fish, just by changing the nets they use to catch them. So in one sense this is a success story, however, It did make me realise any type of fishing that includes nets must be very stressful on the fish.
This is where my thoughts were focused when I made this work.
Artist: Sue White
Fish Profile
European Hake - Merluccius merluccius
Conservation status
European Hake is found in the eastern Atlantic from Norway and Iceland, south to Mauritania, including the Mediterranean. It is fished off the Cornish and Southern Irish coasts.
The IUCN assess the fish as Least Concern and comment that in many areas of the Atlantic stocks have increased. They have concerns over the Mediterranean and report: ‘this species is considered to be overfished throughout the Mediterranean’.
In general Hake is vulnerable to overfishing because it grows slowly and females attain sexual maturity at an older age.
The Cornwall Good Seafood Guide mention: ‘Hake stocks are within sustainable limits but have begun to decline in recent years’. To reduce bycatch they use ‘pingers’ on their nets to scare dolphins and other cetaceans away.
The Cornish hake gill net fishery was certified as sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council in 2015.