The growth rate of the silver hake Merluccius bilinearis in the northern Georges Bank-Gulf of Maine stock appears to be highly density-dependent after fish reach the size at which they become piscivorous. The correlation between mean weight of age-2 through -5 fish and three estimates of relative stock density (catch per unit effort CPUE from commercial vessels, and virtual population analysis VPA of biomass and abundance) for the period 1962–1979 was analyzed by regression and Spearman rank correlation analyses. Mean weight at age was significantly and inversely correlated with estimates of stock density for all ages, although correlation coefficients were markedly lower for age-2 fish than for older age-groups. The lower correlation for age-2 fish may be due to reduced feeding competition with the adult stock, because silver hakes feed almost entirely upon invertebrates until becoming piscivorous after reaching 20–30-cm fork lengths between ages 1 and 2. Mean weight of age-2 fish was not correlated with year-class abundance, suggesting that growth rate may be density-independent for pre-adult life stages of this stock. Correlation was highest for age-3 fish; 84 and 75% of the variation in mean weight was explained by variation in CPUE and VPA biomass estimates, respectively. Growth of older fish seemed to be density-dependent only during periods when stock density was high. Mean weight at age was not correlated with CPUE for age-3 fish when data from only periods of low stock density were considered, but was significantly and inversely correlated when data from periods of high stock density were considered. The frequency with which density-independent growth has been identified in natural populations is probably due to the confounding effect that environmental variability and biological interactions have upon growth, and the probable reduction in intraspecific competitive pressure associated with exploited fish stocks maintained at low levels of density.