Fish guide G-L
Gurnard (grey)
Notes: Gurnards belong to a group of fish known collectively as Trigliadae (sea robins). Although an offshore species, grey gurnard is occasionally found in shallow water. The maximum life span rarely exceeds 6 years They have a strong seasonal migration throughout the North Sea. Gurnards are able to grunt or growl by use of muscles associated with the swim bladder, and this is believed to aid in keeping schools together.
Stocks: Grey gurnard are taken as by-catch in trawl fisheries in deeper offshore waters. Thought to be sustainable.
Haddock
Notes: Haddock is a cold-temperate migratory fish, found in inshore shallow waters in summer and in deep water in winter. Smaller than cod, it can attain a length of 70-100cms and can live for more than 20 years.
Stocks: Haddock from stocks West of Scotland and in the combined areas of North Sea, Kattegat & Skaggerak are at healthy or sustainable levels and being fished sustainably. Whilst at sustainable levels, fishing effort is too high on Icelandic and Faroese stocks. The haddock stock in the North East Arctic (Barents and Norwegian Sea) is also healthy.
Hake (European or Cape)
Notes: Cape hake belongs to a group of fish known as Merluccidae. It is found on the continental shelf and in waters to depths over 1000m. There is only one species found in European seas.
Stocks: The Cape hake fishery was recently certified by the Marine Stewardship Council as an environmentally responsible fishery. There are two main stocks for European hake - a northern and southern stock. The northern stock is harvested sustainably, but the southern stock is depleted.
Halibut
Notes: Halibut belong to a large family (Pleuronectidae) of flatfishes which all have both eyes on the right side of the body. The family is distributed in cool, temperate waters of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The Atlantic halibut is the largest of the 3 species. Atlantic halibut mature at a higher age than either Greenland or Pacific halibut, and are therefore more vulnerable to overfishing.
Stocks: Pacific halibut is less vulnerable to overfishing than Atlantic or Greenland halibut and fisheries are generally much better managed. Longline fisheries for Pacific halibut in US waters of Alaska, Washington and Oregon are certified as environmentally responsible fisheries by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). The longline fishery for Pacific halibut in Pacific waters of British Columbia, Canada are currently undergoing assessment by the MSC as an environmentally responsible fishery.
Herring
Notes: Herring belongs to the same family of fish (clupeids) as sprat and pilchard. At least one population in UK waters spawns in any one month of the year. Herring have an important role in the marine ecosystem as a transformer of plankton at the bottom of the food chain to higher feeding levels e.g. for cod, seabirds and marine mammals.
Stocks: The largest single fishery is for Atlantic herring which is fished throughout much of the North Atlantic. In European waters, herring is managed by a system of quotas. Stocks are healthy and sustainable.
Hoki
Notes: Hoki is a member of the hake family Merluccididae, and is a deep-water fish found only in the southern hemisphere. It can grow up to 120 cm and is reported to live to 25 years.
Stocks: Hoki trawling in New Zealand can cause by-catch of fur seals and a formal programme to monitor and control this is in force.
John Dory
Notes: John Dory usually lives a solitary life or is found in small schools in inshore waters. Spawns in June-August off the coasts of southern England, earlier in the Mediterranean.
Stocks: Dory is generally taken as by-catch in trawls and is unregulated.
