Skip to Main Content

Disclaimer

The NWFSC Scientific Publications Database serves as an archival repository of NWFSC-published products including scientific findings, journal articles, technical memorandums, reports, or other information authored or co-authored by NWFSC or funded partners. As a repository, the SPD retains documents in their original published format to ensure public access to scientific information.

NOAA Fisheries Northwest Science Center Publication Details

CitationHead, M.A., Billings, A.A., Tuttle, V.J. et al. Decade-scale spatio-temporal variability in maturity of Pacific hake, Merluccius productus, along the US West Coast. Environ Biol Fish (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-025-01671-1 (https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-025-01671-1)
TitleDecade-scale spatio-temporal variability in maturity of Pacific Hake, Merluccius productus, along the U.S. West Coast
Publication Year2025
Keywordsmaturity, pacific hake, spawning dynamics, ecosystem based management, spatio-temporal variability, climate ready fisheries
AbstractPacific Hake, Merluccius productus, is the most abundant groundfish in the California Current Large Marine Ecosystem and plays a vital role in predator¿prey dynamics. Their population dynamics are driven by large annual fluctuations in recruitment and intense levels of harvest. The sustainability of these harvests is reliant on stock assessment models reflecting accurate population trends and life-history parameters, such as the size or age at maturity and the rate at which mature adults fail to spawn. We evaluated biological and functional maturity of Pacific Hake from 2009 to 2021 using histological samples collected from northern Canada to the southern U.S. coast. Maturity parameters were estimated using a standard asymptotic logistic curve and a more flexible cubic spline to evaluate reductions in functional maturity at older ages. We uncovered temporal variability in maturity across years (length and age at 50% functional maturity ranging from 29.89 to 37.89 cm and 1.93 to 3.24 ye
Official CitationHead, M.A., Billings, A.A., Tuttle, V.J. et al. Decade-scale spatio-temporal variability in maturity of Pacific hake, Merluccius productus, along the US West Coast. Environ Biol Fish (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-025-01671-1
Links (https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-025-01671-1)