Is hake's remarkable recovery in the Atlantic a sign of hope for our oceans?

You would be forgiven for assuming that the secluded fishing villages of Galicia in northern Spain are not a hive of activity at 02:00 am, but you would be wrong.

Boasting over 1,600 kilometres of coastline, this autonomous region is renowned for its fish dishes. Dock workers here at the Port of Celeiro work throughout the night, unloading shipments of fresh catch before transporting them to busting markets nearby.

Thanks to its privileged geographical position in the northwestern corner of Spain, Galicia provides unparalleled access to the Atlantic Ocean and is a seafood lover's paradise.

With its flakey texture, the mild-tasting hake is a staple in Galician cuisine and the backbone of the local economy.

"This fish is incredibly versatile - you can prepare it in almost any way you can think of," said Domingo Alló Puñal, a chef who prides himself on bringing the best of Celeiro's marketplace crustaceans and fish to the table at Boa Vista restaurant.

“If the hake fishery closed down, we would all be out of work. We all depend on hake,” confessed José Luis Fernández Louzao, a local chief mate.

However, Galicia has faced this problem before. Not so long ago, this all-important species almost disappeared from the Atlantic Ocean, only for stocks to rebound later, stronger than ever.

Marine scientist Javier López, who leads the sustainable fisheries campaign at the conservation advocacy organisation Oceana told Euronews about the detrimental effects overfishing in the 1980s and 90s had on the commercial market years later.

“Atlantic hake numbers dropped dramatically due to decades of overfishing. The population was so low that the species was on the brink of collapse. That was alarming not just for the environment, for the fish