Traditionally, four different stocks of Argentine hake (Merluccius hubbsi) were considered to exist along the Southwest Atlantic ocean (Bezzi et al. 1995)(Vaz-dos-Santos et al. 2009): 1) from 21°S to 29°S, in Southeastern Brazil, 2) from 29°S to 41°S, i.e. from North of 41°S to Rio Grande do Sul, 3) from 41°S to 54°S in Patagonian Argentina (this profile), and 4) Falkland Islands/ Malvinas stock. However, recent studies suggest the existence of three stocks within Argentinean waters: Northern (34º S - 41º S), San Matías Gulf (from 41º S to 42º S - 63º W), and the Southern/Patagonian stock (41º S - 55º S), which includes Falkland waters (Irusta et al. 2016). Falkland Islands are considered a feeding area of the Patagonian stock, where only rarely juvenile individuals are found (Arkhipkin et al. 2015).

Two different assessment units are considered within the Patagonian stock: Argentina performs an assessment that englobes the entire stock (Santos and Villarino 2023), whereas Falkland Island focuses its assessment in its own waters (Ramos and Winter 2022).