{{Short description|Species of fish}} {{Speciesbox | image = Merluza.jpg | status = DD | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = <ref name = IUCN>{{cite journal | author1 = Iwamoto, T. | author2 = Eschmeyer, W. | author3 = Alvarado, J. | author4 = Bussing, W. | name-list-style = amp | year = 2010 | title = ''Merluccius gayi'' | journal = The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species | volume = 2010 | page = e.T183527A8128809 | doi = 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-3.RLTS.T183527A8128809.en | doi-access = free }}</ref> | taxon = Merluccius gayi | authority = (Guichenot, 1848) | range_map = Merluccius sp mapa.svg | range_map_caption = Range of ''M. g. gayi'' (green), ''M. g. peruanus'' (red), and some related species (blue) | synonyms = *''Merlus gayi'' <small>Guichenot, 1848</small> *''Epicopus gayi'' <small>(Guichenot, 1848)</small> | synonyms_ref = <ref name = FishBAse>{{FishBase|Merluccius|gayi|month=February|year=2018}}</ref> }} [[File:170 south pacific hake, capture production, thousand tonnes, 1950-2022.svg|thumb|Global capture production of South Pacific hake (''Merluccius gayi'') in thousand tonnes from 1950 to 2022, as reported by the FAO<ref>{{Cite web |title=Fisheries and Aquaculture - Global Production |url=https://www.fao.org/fishery/en/collection/global_production?lang=en |access-date=2024-05-06 |website=Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)}}</ref>]] '''''Merluccius gayi''''' is a merluccid hake of the genus ''Merluccius'', with two subspecies, the '''South Pacific hake''' or '''Chilean common hake''' (''M. g. gayi'') and the '''Peruvian hake''' (''M. g. peruanus''), found in the south-western Pacific Ocean, along the coast of South America, from Peru (''Merluccius gayi peruanus'') to the Chilean coasts north to the Chiloé Archipelago. During the Southern Hemisphere summer, it migrates southwards in shallow waters, while in the winter, it lives more to the north, in far deeper waters.
''M. gayi'' is very similar to the European hake (''Merluccius merluccius''). They feed on crustaceans, cephalopods, and other fish.
Since at least 2023 stocks of ''Merluccius gayi gayi'' in Chile are depleted causing concern among artisanal fishers.<ref>{{Cite magazine |title=Crisis de la merluza común llega a su límite: artesanales relatan dura realidad y piden medidas urgentes |date=2023-09-05 |magazine=Ladera Sur |url=https://laderasur.com/video/crisis-de-la-merluza-comun-llega-a-su-limite-artesanales-relatan-dura-realidad-y-piden-medidas-urgentes/ |access-date=2023-09-06 |language=Spanish}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *{{Commons category-inline|Merluccius gayi|''Merluccius gayi''}}
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Category:Merluccius Category:Fish of the Pacific Ocean Category:Fish of Peru Category:Fish of Chile Category:Taxa named by Alphonse Guichenot Category:Fish described in 1848
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