Biology and fisheries of Peruvian hake (M. gayi peruanus)

Morphological, morphometric, meristic and osteological evidence for two species of hake (Actinopterygii: Gadiformes: Merluccius) in Argentinean waters

“…Merluccids are important in fisheries resources and some species have been, and are, subject to intense commercial exploitation (Alheit & Pitcher, 1995). Although several works describe the biology and population dynamics of several nominal species (Angelescu et al , 1958; Aguayo, 1995; Bezzi et al , 1995, 2004; Casey & Pereiro, 1995; Colman, 1995; Espino et al , 1995; Bolles & Begg, 2000), problems of species identification still remain. This is due to the difficulty of discerning reliable diagnostic features, critical for defining the number of species in an area (Lloris et al , 2003).…”

Spawning of the chilean hake (<i>Merluccius gayi</i>) in the upwelling system off Talcahuano in relation to oceanographic features

“…During this study, dissolved oxygen concentrations at the layer of peak hake egg and larval densities were above 2 ml O 2 l -1 , which are substantially higher concentrations than those occurring in the area under more intense upwelling conditions in late spring and summer (< 1.0 ml O 2 l -1 ; Bernal et al, 1983). For adult M. gayi, the low oxygen concentration in the upwelling waters is seemingly not a limiting factor, as the largest biomasses of M. gayi peruanus have been observed at depths where the oxygen values ranged from 0.25 to 1.5 ml/l (Samame et al 1983;Espino et al 1995). A similar pattern has been determined for M. gayi at the Chilean coast, where Avilés et al (1979) and Arancibia (1992) propose a strong relationship between the low oxygen water masses (i.e.…”

“…Along the Chile-Peru eastern boundary current, the hake Merluccius gayi is the most common demersal species occurring throughout a wide distribution range from 6°S through 47°S. Within this latitudinal range, two potential subspecies have been proposed: Merluccius gayi peruvianus from 6°S through 14°S (Espino et al, 1995) and Merluccius gayi gayi from 23°S through the 47°S (Aguayo, 1995).…”

Population structure in Chilean hake Merluccius gayi as revealed by mitochondrial DNA sequences

“…The two subspecies differ in morphology (Ginsburg, 1954; Inada, 1981) and allozyme alleles at three monomorphic loci (Hernandez et al , 2000), and are separated physically by a narrow continental shelf and concentrations of hydrogen sulphide in bottom layers in the region between their non‐overlapping ranges (Inada, 1981). The two subspecies are managed essentially as two distinct stocks (Aguayo‐Hernández, 1995; Espino et al , 1995).…”