halibut: see flatfish.

Any of various flatfishes, especially the Atlantic and Pacific halibuts (genus Hippoglossus, family Pleuronectidae), both of which have eyes and colour on the right side. The Atlantic halibut, found on both sides of the North Atlantic Ocean, is the largest flatfish; it may reach a length of about 7 ft (2 m) and a weight of 720 lb (325 kg). It is brown, blackish, or deep green on the eyed side. The smaller and slimmer Pacific halibut is found on both sides of the North Pacific Ocean. Other edible halibut include the Greenland halibut, of Arctic and near-Arctic parts of the Atlantic, and the California halibut (family Bothidae), found along the California coast.

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A halibut is a type of flatfish from the family of the right-eye flounders (Pleuronectidae). This name is derived from haly (holy) and butt (flat fish), alleged to be called so from being commonly eaten on holy-days. Halibut live in both the North Pacific and the North Atlantic oceans and are highly regarded food fish.

Physical characteristics

The Halibut is the largest of all flat fish, with an average weight of about 25 - 30 lb (11 - 13½ kg), but they can grow to be as much as 400 lbs (181 kg). The Halibut is blackish-grey on the top side and off-white on the underbelly side. When the Halibut is born the eyes are on both sides of its head so it has to swim like a salmon. After about 6 months one eye will migrate to the other side of its head, making it look more like the flounder. This happens at the same time that the stationary eyed side begins to develop a blackish-grey pigment while the other side remains white. This disguises a halibut from above (blending with the ocean floor) and from below (blending into the light from the sky).

Diet

Halibut feed on almost any animal they can fit in their mouths. Animals found in their stomachs include sand lance, octopus, crab, salmon, hermit crabs, lamprey, sculpin, cod, pollock, herring and flounder. Halibut can be found at depths as shallow as a few meters to hundreds of meters deep, and although they spend most of their time near the bottom, halibut will 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 the only common predators of halibut are the sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus), the orca whale (Orcinus orca), and the salmon shark (Lamna ditropis).

Halibut fishery

Commercial halibut fishery in the North Pacific dates to the late 19th century and today is one of the largest and most lucrative fisheries in the region. In Canadian and U.S. waters of the North Pacific, halibut are taken by longline, 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. Typically the fishing vessel hauls gear after several hours up to a day has passed.

Careful international management of Pacific halibut is necessary, as the species occupies the waters of the United States, Canada, Russia, and possibly Japan (known to the Japanese as Ohyo), and is a slow-maturing fish. Halibut do not reproduce until age eight, when they are approximately 30 inches (76 cm) long, so commercial capture of fish below this length is an unsustainable practice and is against U.S. and Canadian regulations. Halibut fishing in the Pacific is managed by the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC).

For most of its modern duration, commercial halibut fishery operated as a derby-style fishery where 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 window. 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 frequently led to unsafe fishing as openings necessarily set in advance and fisherman felt compelled economically to leave port virtually regardless of the weather. The approach also provided fresh halibut to the markets for only several weeks each year.

In 1995, regulators in the United States implemented a quota-based fishery by allocating individual fishing quotas (IFQs) to existing fishery participants based on each vessel's documented historical catch. IFQs grant holders a specific proportion of each year's total allowable catch (TAC) as determined by regulators and can be fished at any time during the 9-month open season. The IFQ system improved both the safety of the fishery and the quality of the product by providing a stable flow of fresh halibut to the marketplace. Critics of the program suggest that, since IFQs are a saleable commodity and the fish a public resource, the IFQ system gave a public resource to the private sector. Would-be fisherman who were not part of the initial IFQ allocation are also critical of the program saying that the capital costs to fishery entry are now too high.

There is also a significant sport fishery in Alaska and British Columbia where halibut are a prized game and food fish. Sport fisherman use large rods and reels with line weights from 80 to 150 pound test, and often bait with herring, large jigs, or even whole salmon heads. Halibut are very strong, thus in both commercial and sport fisheries large halibut (over 50 to 100 pounds (20 to 50 kg)) are often shot or otherwise subdued before they are brought onto the boat. The sport fishery in Alaska is one of the key elements to the state's summer tourism economy. Halibut are typically broiled, deep fat fried or lightly grilled while fresh. The fillets can also be smoked but this method is more difficult with halibut meat than it is with salmon, due to the ultra-low fat content of halibut. Eaten fresh, the meat has a very clean taste and requires little seasoning. Halibut is also noted for its very dense and firm texture, almost more akin to chicken.

Halibut have been an important food source to Native Americans and Canadian First Nations for thousands of years and continue to be a key element to many coastal subsistence economies. The management of the halibut resource to accommodate the competing interests of commercial, sport, and subsistence users is a contentious current issue.

The Atlantic fishery of halibut has been extremely depleted through overfishing to such an extent that it may possibly be declared an endangered species. According to Seafood Watch, Atlantic halibut is currently on the list of seafood that sustainability-minded consumers should avoid. Almost all halibut now bought on the East coast are now Pacific halibut.

Species commonly known as "halibut"

• Family Carangidae (jack family, not a flatfish)
• Australian halibut, Parastromateus niger
• Family Paralichthyidae
• California halibut, Paralichthys californicus
• Bastard halibut, Paralichthys olivaceus
• Family Pleuronectidae
• Arrowtooth halibut, Atheresthes evermanni
• Shotted halibut, Eopsetta grigorjewi
• Atlantic halibut, Hippoglossus hippoglossus
• Pacific halibut, Hippoglossus stenolepis
• Greenland halibut, Reinhardtius hippoglossoides
• Spotted halibut, Verasper variegatus
• Family Psettodidae
• Indian halibut

Notes

References

• 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
• Oxford English Dictionary, second edition, ed. John Simpson and Edmund Weiner, Clarendon Press, 1989, ISBN 0-19-861186-2.

External links

• International Pacific Halibut Commission
• Halibut farming manual (in Norwegian)
• Alaska Department of Fish & Game
• California Halibut fishing see: Marina Del Rey Halibut Derby