Hake (Merluccius merluccius) is the fifth most popular fish in France – behind tuna, salmon, cod and sardines – with annual consumption averaging 60,674 metric tons (MT) or 0.93 kilograms (kg) per capita from 2011 to 2013, according to the European Market Observatory for Fisheries and Aquaculture Products (EUMOFA).
The species is also one of the country’s most important demersal catches with the first-sale value reaching close to EUR 40 million (USD 43.9 million) in 2014, representing an increase of 30 percent on the previous year.
France has a 46 percent share of the EU’s total allowable catch (TAC) of hake and the quota granted to the French fleet has increased 63 percent in the past two years, in line with the growth of the northern stock.
The significant increase in landing volumes has resulted in a slight drop in domestic prices in recent years. The average first-sales price fell from EUR 2.56 (USD 2.81) per kg in 2012 to EUR 2.50 (USD 2.74) in 2013 and EUR 2.47 (USD 2.71) last year. The highest prices were reached in Mediterranean ports – above EUR 3.75 (USD 4.11) per kg in 2013 – while prices ranged between EUR 2 (USD 2.20) and EUR 3 (USD 3.29) per kg on the Atlantic side of the country.
In addition to sliding prices, there has been a strong shift in France’s import/export traffic. Between 2010 and 2014, its hake imports fell by 22 percent, while its exports quadrupled. In 2014, the French market imported 14,823 MT of hake with a value of EUR 50.8 million (USD 55.7 million) and exported 10,026 MT with a value of EUR 28.8 million (USD 31.6 million).
Fresh hake contributed 27 percent of the total value of hake imports and 80 percent of exports. It should be noted that fresh hake exports grew sevenfold in volume between 2010 and 2014. More than 90 percent of these fresh exports go to the Spanish market, where it’s estimated the consumption of the product – known locally as “la merluza” – topped 6 kg per capita in 2013.
Fresh hake represents 39 percent of all hake products imported by Spain. In 2013, the country imported 45,000 MT of fresh hake with a value of EUR 141 million (USD 154.6 million). France provided 38 percent of this volume.
However, France has experienced a significant drop in the export price of its hake. This is because of the larger quota in EU waters and an abundant supply of southern hake through imports, in addition to increased catches made by the Spanish fleet in Namibia and the Falkland Islands.
There are two separate stocks of hake in EU waters. The northern stock is the most abundant and is found in the North Sea, Skagerrak, and off the Atlantic coasts of the United Kingdom, Ireland and France, while the smaller southern stock is located off the Atlantic coasts of Spain and Portugal. For 2015, the International Council for Exploration of the Sea (ICES) recommended total allowable catches TACs of 78,457 MT for the northern stock (down from 81,846 MT in 2014) and 8,417 MT for the southern stock (down from 16,266 MT).
