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When and how is European hake caught?
European hake is not a shore fish: its recorded habitat is deep, muddy bottom. Three seas, a September – March season and a 20 cm limit.
Short answer: from September to March, a month earlier in the Mediterranean, and always on the bottom. The habitat recorded for European hake in our catalog is a single phrase — deep, muddy bottom — and both recorded techniques go down there.
The communiqué names this species “Bakalyaro (Berlam)”, and its Latin name is Merluccius merluccius. So bakalyaro, the name you hear from Turkish anglers on the quay, and berlam are one and the same fish.
Which seas is it recorded in?
Our catalog has three sea entries for European hake: the Sea of Marmara, the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean. There is no Black Sea row.
That does not mean “it is never found in the Black Sea”; it means our sea-by-sea fishing data has no row for that sea. European hake is not tied to any of our shore spots either — which is why we can give you the name of a sea, not the name of a spot.
Which months are best?
The season opens as the water cools, but the Mediterranean moves a month early:
| Sea | Peak months |
|---|---|
| Sea of Marmara | September – March |
| Aegean Sea | September – March |
| Mediterranean | August – February |
The April – July stretch is not marked as peak in any of the three seas. So European hake is not a summer fish; in summer you need to pick another target. If you want to see what is on the move in the Sea of Marmara in the same months, the month-by-month species calendar covers the whole sea, month by month.
Bait and technique
Two techniques are on record: deep bottom fishing and jigging. On the lure side there is a single entry, the slow jig. The natural bait trio is the same in all three seas: sardine, squid and fish flesh.
The supporting regional baits differ by sea:
- Sea of Marmara — anchovy, horse mackerel, shrimp.
- Aegean Sea — sardine, mamun, sülünez.
- Mediterranean — sardine, squid, shrimp.
No wind, water temperature, pressure or wave range is recorded for European hake. With shore species the condition data also helps you decide whether to go out; here the two variables you have to work with are the month and the depth.
Minimum size and maximum quantity
In recreational fishing the minimum size for European hake is 20 cm and the maximum quantity 5 kg. Release any fish under that size — by eye you cannot tell 18 cm from 20 cm, so keep a tape measure with you.
Legal basis: Communiqué No. 2024/21, Table 7.
The article what is a minimum size explains why this figure is more than a formality; the full communiqué, species by species, is on the minimum fish sizes page.
Is there a closed season?
For European hake no species-specific time ban is specified. That does not mean “open all year”: the area and method rules still apply, and the minimum size is a limit that holds all year round.
The full sea-by-sea month table, the bait list and the regulation entry are on the European hake species page. If you want to see which stretch of coast to head out into deep water from, open the map.
The size and quantity information is taken from the communiqué of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. The communiqué can change; for definite information consult the text in force.
