Halibut

Fishermen in Seward, Alaska with a fresh catch of halibut

Halibut caught off the coast of Raspberry Island, Alaska, in 2007: The two fish being held up are 18 to 23 kg (40 to 50 lb)

Halibut tend to be a mottled dark brown on their upward-facing side and white on their underside

Filleting a Pacific halibut taken in Cook Inlet, Alaska. A halibut yields four large fillets, with the yield percentage higher than for most fish. Round halibut cheeks may provide additional meat

• Species of the genus Hippoglossus
  • Atlantic halibut, Hippoglossus hippoglossus – lives in the North Atlantic
  • Pacific halibut, Hippoglossus stenolepis – lives in the North Pacific Ocean

The Atlantic halibut is the world's largest flatfish.[5] The IGFA record was apparently broken off the waters of Norway in July 2013 by a 234-kilogram (515-pound), 2.62-metre (8-foot-7-inch) fish. This was awaiting certification as of 2013.[6] In July 2014, a 219-kilogram (482 lb) Pacific halibut was caught in Glacier Bay, Alaska; this is, however, discounted from records because the halibut was shot and harpooned before being hauled aboard.[7]

Halibut are dark brown on the top side with an off-white underbelly and have very small scales invisible to the naked eye embedded in their skin.[8] Halibut are symmetrical at birth with one eye on each side of the head. Then, about six months later, during larval metamorphosis one eye migrates to the other side of the head. The eyes are permanently set once the skull is fully ossified.[9] At the same time, the stationary-eyed side darkens to match the top side, while the other side remains white. This color scheme disguises halibut from above (blending with the ocean floor) and from below (blending into the light from the sky) and is known as countershading.

Halibut feed on almost any fish or animal they can fit into their mouths. Juvenile halibut feed on small crustaceans and other bottom-dwelling organisms. Animals found in their stomachs include sand lance, octopus, crab, salmon, hermit crabs, lamprey, sculpin, cod, pollock, herring, and flounder, as well as other halibut. Halibut live at depths ranging from a few meters to hundreds of meters, and although they spend most of their time near the bottom,[1] halibut may move up in the water column to feed. In most ecosystems, the halibut is near the top of the marine food chain. In the North Pacific, common predators are sea lions, killer whales, salmon sharks and humans.

The North Pacific commercial halibut fishery dates to the late 19th century and today is one of the region's largest and most lucrative. In Canadian and US waters, long-line fishing predominates, using chunks of octopus ("devilfish") or other bait on circle hooks attached at regular intervals to a weighted line that can extend for several miles across the bottom. The fishing vessel retrieves the line after several hours to a day. The effects of long-line gear on habitats are poorly understood, but could include disturbance of sediments, benthic structures, and other structures.

International management is thought to be necessary, because the species occupies waters of the United States, Canada, Russia, and possibly Japan (where the species is known to the Japanese as ohyo), and matures slowly. Halibut do not reproduce until age eight, when about 80 cm (30 in) long, so commercial capture below this length prevents breeding and is against US and Canadian regulations supporting sustainability. Pacific halibut fishing is managed by the International Pacific Halibut Commission.

For most of the modern era, halibut fishery operated as a derby. Regulators declared time slots when fishing was open (typically 24–48 hours at a time) and fisherman raced to catch as many pounds as they could within that interval. This approach accommodated unlimited participation in the fishery while allowing regulators to control the quantity of fish caught annually by controlling the number and timing of openings. The approach led to unsafe fishing, as openings were necessarily set before the weather was known, forcing fisherman to leave port regardless of the weather. The approach limited fresh halibut to the markets to several weeks per year, when the gluts would push down the price received by fishermen.

• Of the same family (Pleuronectidae) as proper halibut
  • Kamchatka flounder, Atheresthes evermanni – sometimes called "arrowtooth halibut"
  • Roundnose flounder, Eopsetta grigorjewi – often called "shotted halibut"
  • Greenland turbot, Reinhardtius hippoglossoides – often called "Greenland halibut"
  • Spotted halibut, Verasper variegatus
• Family Paralichthyidae
  • California flounder, Paralichthys californicus – sometimes called "California halibut"
  • Olive flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus – sometimes called "bastard halibut"
• Family Psettodidae
  • Indian spiny turbot – sometimes called "Indian halibut"
• Family Carangidae (jack family, not a flatfish)
  • Black pomfret, Parastromateus niger – sometimes called "Australian halibut"

• Clover, Charles. 2004. The End of the Line: How overfishing is changing the world and what we eat. Ebury Press, London. ISBN 0-09-189780-7
• FishWatch – Pacific Halibut, Fisheries, US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2019

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hippoglossus hippoglossus.

• International Pacific Halibut Commission
• Alaska Department of Fish & Game