Ken Schultz's Field Guide to Saltwater Fish - Macaw Pets store

The Atlantic halibut is among the largest bony fish in the
world and a member of the Pleuronectidae family of righteyed
flounder. The flounder has a unique type of maturation
from larvae to adult stage, in which one eye migrates
to the opposite side of the head.
The Atlantic halibut is a highly prized table fish, with
white, tender flesh, but it is such a deep-dwelling fish that it
is seldom deliberately pursued by anglers. It may be caught
incidentally by anglers fishing for other deep-ocean dwellers.
It has historically been an extremely important market
species, but it has been greatly overfished by commercial
interests, who primarily catch it by bottom longlining.
Identification. The body is wide and somewhat flattened,
rimmed by long dorsal and anal fins. The lateral line, which
has a scale count of about 160, arches strongly above the
pectoral fin. The dorsal fin has 98 to 106 rays and the anal
fin has 73 to 80 rays. The teeth are equally well equipped in
both sides of the jaw. Its coloring is usually pearly white and
featureless on the blind side. Some specimens, nicknamed
“cherry-bellies,” have a reddish tint on the blind side.
Size. Atlantic halibut weighing between 300 and 700
pounds have been reported, and the all-tackle rod-and-reel
record is 355 pounds.
Spawning behavior. Spawning occurs from late winter
through early spring in deep water. The eastern Atlantic fish
spawn from March through May. A female can release up to
2 million eggs, and the fish move shallower after spawning.
Food and feeding habits. The Atlantic halibut is a voracious
feeder, pursuing its prey in the open water. It forages
primarily on fish, including cod and their relatives—ocean
perch, herring, skates, mackerel, and other flounder. It also
eats crabs, mussels, lobsters, and clams.
Halibut, Atlantic
Hippoglossus hippoglossus
OTHER NAMES
common halibut, giant
halibut, right-eyed flounder,
chicken halibut (under
20 pounds); Dutch: heilbot;
Finnish: ruijanpallas;
French: flétan de l’Atlantique;
Icelandic: heilagfiski;
Japanese: ohyô; Norwegian:
kveite; Portuguese:
alabote; Spanish: fletán del
Atlántico, hipogloso;
Swedish: hälleflundra,
helgeflundra.
Distribution. The Atlantic
halibut occurs in North
Atlantic waters; in North
America it ranges from
Labrador to Virginia. This
species does not occur in
near-freezing polar waters,
as many people believe;
there, it is replaced by the
Greenland halibut (Reinhardtius
hippoglossoides).
Habitat. A deep-water
species, the Atlantic halibut
seldom enters water
shallower than about 200
feet and is commonly found
to 3,000 feet. It inhabits
cold (40° to 50°F) water
over sand, gravel, or clay
bottoms.
Halibut, Atlantic 103