White Hake

Latin Name

Urophycis tenuis

Group Name

Groundfish

Taxonomy details

Habitat

White hake are distributed throughout the western Atlantic, ranging from southern Labrador, the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the Grand Banks southward to North Carolina. White hake are groundfish that live their adult lives in depths of a few metres to almost 1000 metres, preferring sandy and muddy bottoms.

Species Description

White hake are similar in appearance to cod, though somewhat leaner. They have an elongated body with two dorsal fins. The first dorsal fin is small and pointed with a long filament and the second long and flat, covering more than half of their body. The coloration of white hake varies, but they are dark on their dorsal side, usually brown or purplish-brown, and paler on their flanks, sometimes with a bronze tinge. Their belly is typically off-white or yellowish white. White hake can grow to about 70 cm, in rare cases growing to almost twice this length. They can live up to 10 years.