 The best known species are in the genera "Macruronus" and "Merluccius".These predatory fish are up to in length, though most only reach about half that length, inhabiting the waters of the continental shelf and upper continental slope, where they feed on small fish such as lanternfishes.Several species are important commercial fish, for example the blue grenadier ("Macruronus novaezelandiae") that is fished in the southwest Pacific and the North Pacific hake ("Merluccius productus") that is fished off western North America.