Distinct from northern hake caught in the North Sea, the principal sources of Atlantic southern hake are Spain and Portugal.
Wholesale fresh hake price variances in Spain range from EUR 4.20 (USD 5.50) per kilogram (kg) in Barcelona to EUR 6 (USD 7.50) in Valencia to EUR 7.21 (USD 9.43) in Madrid.
Daniel Martínez Menchón, head of Barcelona Central Fish Market says additional logistics costs to Madrid commands higher salaries and prices, “price differences for fresh and frozen hake corresponds to differences in market size. I have the impression that this year we’ll continue to enjoy abundance of this species.”
At press time, average prices per kilogram for hake weighing 2.5-5 kilograms caught in Gran Sol waters off A Coruña in Galicia ranged from EUR 3.84 (USD 5.01) landed value to EUR 5.27 (USD 6.88) wholesale to EUR 15.27 (USD 19.94) retail.
Twenty percent of Spaniards bought hake from supermarkets and other mass retailers, compared to 5.4 percent from fresh fishmongers in most recent figures. The rise in Spanish supermarket sales is seen in Eroski’s decision to offer fresh hake bearing the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) eco-label this year, in addition to MSC-labeled hake in its refrigerated section and MSC-certified hake under the Findus brand in freezer sections.
In its January survey of seafood consumption patterns, the Portuguese Institute for the Sea and Atmosphere in Lisbon found a preference for fresh/chilled hake over frozen with women having a bigger appetite for hake than men. Survey co-author Carlos Cardoso confirmed that after salted and dried cod, hake is the second most popular seafood in Portugal.
At press time, Portugal’s leading port for first fish sales in Lisbon, Docapesca, cited minimum and maximum fresh hake prices of EUR 2.06 (USD 2.70) in Póvoa de Varzim (north coast) and EUR 4.23 (USD 5.53) in Lagos and Sagres (western Algarve).
According to Sonae’s sustainability policy, Portugal’s retail market leader is committing to further shifting its purchasing strategies, where products captured using traditional fishing methods (line-caught) take commercial advantage over other less sustainable methods (trawl fishing).
European Union studies show southern hake stocks have improved due to good juvenile recruitment. Under its current management period through next January, the total allowable catch (will be 35,000 metric tons (MT) for two consecutive years.
For vessels 10 meters or longer operating across EU and international zones, Spain’s total TAC for the period is 25,970 MT, Portugal’s is 4,224 MT.
