Silver HakeorRed Hake

Two fish anglers mix up. Here is what separates them, and what each one’s rules are in your state.

Illustration of a Silver Hake (Merluccius bilinearis), side view, on a white background — **Silver Hake***Merluccius bilinearis*Drawing: NOAA Fisheries

Illustration of a Red Hake (Urophycis chuss), side view, on a white background — **Red Hake***Urophycis chuss*Drawing: NOAA Fisheries

Rules for both fish from 2 state rulebooks, checked Sep 18, 2026. Every rule names its source and the day it was last checked; the official rulebook is the final word.

How to tell them apart

Silver Hake

Slender and silvery with two dorsal fins, the second long; big mouth with sharp teeth; no chin barbel.

Red Hake

Soft-rayed codling with a ribbon-thin first-dorsal ray, a chin barbel, and slim reddish-brown body.

Red hake, next to silver hake: chin barbel, long threadlike pelvic fin.

Side by side

	Silver Hake	Red Hake
Scientific name	Merluccius bilinearis	Urophycis chuss
Also called	Whiting (New England), New England hake	Ling, Squirrel hake
Waters	Offshore	Inshore
Heaviest state record	—	12 lb 13 oz · New Jersey (2010)
On the table	Good fresh — soft, mild; the fried whiting of the Northeast.	Soft but tasty fresh — a chowder fish.
Rules of its own in	0 states	2 states

Rules for

Every state, both fish

The two fish are regulated differently in 2 of 2 states with a rule for either. In Maine, red hake is No size limit, No bag limit while silver hake has no rule of its own there. Call the fish wrong and you keep a short one or throw back a legal one.

State	Silver Hake: size · bag · season	Red Hake: size · bag · season
Maine	Not specifically regulated; the state’s default for unlisted species applies.	No size limitNo bag limitOpen year-roundOpenME DMR 2026 · checked 2026-09-18
North Carolina	Not specifically regulated; the state’s default for unlisted species applies.	No size limitNo bag limitOpen year-roundOpenNC DMF 2026 · likely · checked 2026-09-18

Questions anglers ask

How do you tell silver hake from red hake?

Silver Hake: Slender and silvery with two dorsal fins, the second long; big mouth with sharp teeth; no chin barbel. Red Hake: Soft-rayed codling with a ribbon-thin first-dorsal ray, a chin barbel, and slim reddish-brown body. Red hake, next to silver hake: chin barbel, long threadlike pelvic fin.

Which is better to eat, silver hake or red hake?

Silver Hake: Good fresh — soft, mild; the fried whiting of the Northeast. Red Hake: Soft but tasty fresh — a chowder fish.

Do silver hake and red hake have the same limits?

Not everywhere. They differ in 2 state rulebooks. Maine: silver hake no rule of its own, red hake No size limit, No bag limit; North Carolina: silver hake no rule of its own, red hake No size limit, No bag limit.