Three species of hake are found off the coast of north-west Africa. These are M. merluccius, Merluccius senegalensis and M. cadenati (Fig. 2). M. merluccius is the most northerly of the three species. It is found as far south as latitude 15°N but is found mainly between the Straits of Gibraltar and latitude 28°N. Merluccius senegalensis and M. cadenati are more southerly species and their distribution overlap that of M. merluccius.
Merluccius senegalensis is mainly found between latitude 13°N and 20°N. M. Cadenati is mainly found between latitude 8°N and 22°N.
For all three species, there is a tendency for the larger fish to be found in deeper water although there is no clear line of demarcation. Juveniles (< 30 cm), for example, can be found in depths up to about 500 m. Larger fish (> 40 cm) have been found in depths from about 100 m to 600 m or more.
