| Blue grenadier | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Gadiformes |
| Family: | Merlucciidae |
| Subfamily: | Merlucciinae |
| Genus: | Macruronus |
| Species: | M. novaezelandiae |
| Binomial name | |
| Macruronus novaezelandiae (Hector, 1871) |
|
The blue grenadier, hoki, blue hake, New Zealand whiptail, whiptail or whiptail hake, Macruronus novaezelandiae, is a merluccid hake of the family Merlucciidae found around southern Australia and New Zealand at depths of between 10 and 1,000 m (33 and 3,300 ft). Its length is between 60 and 120 cm (24 and 47 in). The meat of the fish is white.
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The hoki is one of the species used in McDonald's Filet-O-Fish, Fish Fingers and McFish sandwiches.[1][2] It was previously served at Long John Silver's and Denny's restaurants in the United States, and continues to be served at Denny's in New Zealand.[1]
The blue grenadier is the subject of a large commercial fishery industry in New Zealand, which has been certified by the Marine Stewardship Council as well-managed and sustainable in March 2001. New Zealand has established a fishing quota of about 100,000 tons.[1] The first MSC certification ended in April 2007. Reassessment of the certification commenced in early 2005 and finished in October 2007.[3] A 2009 New York Times article raised questions over the sustainability of blue grenadier fishing practices around New Zealand, though its conclusions were disputed by New Zealand representatives.[4] However, recent quotas on catches have declined by nearly 2/3 from 275,000 to 100,000 tons.
In 2010, Greenpeace International has added the blue grenadier (hoki) to its seafood red list. "The Greenpeace International seafood red list is a list of fish that are commonly sold in supermarkets around the world, and which have a very high risk of being sourced from unsustainable fisheries."[5]