Plaice

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European plaice Pleuronectes platessa.jpg
European plaice
American plaice Hippoglossoides platessoides.jpg
American plaice

Plaice is a common name for a group of flatfish that comprises four species: the European, American, Alaskan and scale-eye plaice.

Contents

Commercially, the most important plaice is the European. The principal commercial flatfish in Europe, it is also widely fished recreationally, has potential as an aquaculture species, and is kept as an aquarium fish. Also commercially important is the American plaice.

The term plaice (plural plaice) comes from the 14th-century Anglo-French plais. This in turn comes from the late Latin platessa, meaning flatfish, which originated from the Ancient Greek platys, meaning broad. [1]

Plaice species

European plaice

World catch of European plaice in thousands of tonnes, based on FAO catch data World catch European plaice 1950-2007.png
World catch of European plaice in thousands of tonnes, based on FAO catch data
External image
Searchtool.svg Distribution map for European plaice (The Sea Around Us)

The European plaice (Pleuronectes platessa) is a right-eyed flounder belonging to the family Pleuronectidae. It is a commercially important flatfish that lives on the sandy bottoms of the European shelf. It ranges geographically from the Barents Sea to the Mediterranean. European plaice are characterised by their smooth brown skin, with distinctive red spots and a bony ridge behind the eyes. They feed on polychaetes, crustaceans and bivalves and can be found at depths of up to 200 metres. At night they move into shallow waters to feed and during the day they bury themselves in the sand. Their maximum recorded length is 100 cm (39 in) and maximum reported age 50 years. [3]

Together with sole, European plaice form a group of flatfish that are the most important flatfish in Europe. [4] European plaice have been fished from the North Sea for hundreds of years. They are usually fished from beam trawlers, otter trawlers or seiners. [5] In the Celtic Sea the plaice species is considered overfished. [6]

Comparison of world catch by weight 2007 for European plaice, using FAO catch data Catch comparison European plaice 2007.svg
Comparison of world catch by weight 2007 for European plaice, using FAO catch data

American plaice

World catch of American plaice in thousands of tonnes, based on FAO catch data World catch American plaice 1950-2007 scaled.png
World catch of American plaice in thousands of tonnes, based on FAO catch data
External image
Searchtool.svg Distribution map for American plaice (The Sea Around Us)

Like the European plaice, the American plaice is a right eyed flatfish belonging to the family Pleuronectidae. American plaice are an Atlantic species, [9] which range from southern Labrador to Rhode Island. They are also found in Europe, where they are called rough dab or long rough dab. They spawn in the Gulf of Maine, with peak activity in April and May. They are brown or reddish, and are generally smaller than European plaice, with a rougher skin and larger scales. Their maximum recorded length is 82.6 cm (32.5 in), and maximum reported age 30 years. They are usually found between depths of 90 and 250 m (300 and 820 ft) on sandy bottoms with temperatures between −0.5 and 2.5 °C (31.1 and 36.5 °F). They feed on small fishes and invertebrates. [10] [11]

The species is considered by the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization to be overfished, with no signs of recovery. [12] Though they are also currently endangered in Canada due to overfishing, [13] the Canadian government believes the species is abundant. Flatfish, as a group, are second-most caught (by weight) only to cod in Canada, with American plaice accounting for 50 percent of all flatfish caught. [14]

American plaice may be an intermediate host for the nematode parasite Otostrongylus circumlitis, which is a lungworm of seals, primarily affecting animals less than 1 year of age. [13]

Comparison of world catch by weight 2004 for American plaice, using FAO catch data Catch comparison American plaice 2007.svg
Comparison of world catch by weight 2004 for American plaice, using FAO catch data

Alaska plaice

Alaska plaice can live for up to 30 years and grow to 60 cm (24 in) long, but most that are caught are only seven or eight years old and about 30 cm (12 in). [16]

Most commercial fisheries do not target Alaska plaice, but many are caught as bycatch by commercial trawlers trying to catch other bottom fish. Thus, many Alaska plaice get caught anyway — so much so that, for example, the 2005 total allowable catch in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area (BSAI) was reached before the end of May of that year.[ citation needed ]

Scale-eye plaice

The scale-eye plaice is a flatfish of the family Pleuronectidae. It is a demersal fish that lives at depths of 18 to 900 m (59 to 3,000 ft). It can reach 46 cm (18 in) in length and can weigh up to 1.2 kg (2.6 lb). Its native habitat is the northern Pacific, primarily from the Sea of Okhotsk to Japan and Korea, though it is also found in the Bering Sea. [17]

Current conservation and management status

Plaice, along with the other major demersal fish in the North Sea such as cod, monkfish and sole, is listed by the ICES as "outside safe biological limits." Moreover, they are growing less quickly now and are rarely older than six years, whereas they can reach forty. [18] The World Wide Fund for Nature says that in 2006 "of the eight plaice stocks recognised by ICES, only one is considered to be harvested sustainably while three are overexploited. Data is insufficient to assess the remaining stocks; however, landings for all stocks are at or near historical lows." [19]

In cuisine and culture

In North German and Danish cuisine, plaice is one of the most commonly eaten fish. Filleted, battered, and pan-fried plaice is popular hot or cold as an open sandwich topping together with remoulade sauce and lemon slices. Battered plaice is often served hot with french fries and remoulade sauce as a main dish; this fish and chips variant is popular [20] and is commonly available on children's menus in Danish restaurants. Breaded frozen plaice, ready to be baked or fried at home, are readily available in supermarkets. Fresh plaice is also oven-baked.

"The flesh of plaice is white, tender and subtle-flavoured." [5]

Smoked plaice is one of the traditional summer time delicacies of Hiiumaa island.[ citation needed ]

Notes

  1. ↑ "Plaice". Webster's New World College Dictionary. Wiley Publishing. 2009.
  2. ↑ FAO: Species Fact Sheets: Pleuronectes platessa, Retrieved 23 November 2009.
  3. ↑ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Pleuronectes platessa". FishBase . November 2009 version.
  4. ↑ European plaice and sole [ permanent dead link ] World Wide Fund for Nature. Retrieved 22 November 2009.
  5. 1 2 "Plaice". MSC.org. Marine Stewardship Council . Retrieved 22 November 2009.
  6. ↑ Hogan, C. Michael (2011). "Celtic Sea". In Saundry, P.; Cleveland, C. (eds.). Encyclopedia of Earth. Washington, DC: National Council for Science and the Environment.
  7. ↑ FAO Nominal Catches of Pleuronectes platessa FishBase , Retrieved 23 November 2009
  8. ↑ FAO: Species Fact Sheets: Hippoglossoides platessoides, Retrieved 23 November 2009.
  9. ↑ "Plaice". Grolier Encyclopedia of Knowledge. Vol. 15. Grolier Inc. 1991. ISBN   0-7172-5300-7.
  10. ↑ Dery, L. M. "Species Information: American plaice". nefsc.noaa.gov. Fishery Biology Program, Woods Hole Massachusetts Laboratory, National Marine Fisheries Service, Northeast Fisheries Science Center. Archived from the original on 2007-03-11. Retrieved 2007-01-18.
  11. ↑ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Hippoglossoides platessoides". FishBase . November 2009 version.
  12. ↑ "Plaice Fishery Recent Assessment". nafo.int. Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization. 2005–2006. Archived from the original on 2007-06-07. Retrieved 2007-01-19.
  13. 1 2 Bergeron, et al. 1997. Canadian Journal of Zoology 75: 1364–1371.
  14. ↑ "American Plaice". Underwater World. Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Archived from the original on 2007-02-04. Retrieved 2007-01-19– via dfo-mpo.gc.ca.
  15. ↑ "FAO Nominal Catches of Hippoglossoides platessoides". FishBase. Retrieved 23 November 2009.
  16. ↑ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Pleuronectes quadrituberculatus". FishBase . November 2009 version.
  17. ↑ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Acanthopsetta nadeshnyi". FishBase . November 2009 version.
  18. ↑ 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
  19. ↑ "European plaice and sole"
  20. ↑ "Fish & chips". Seafish.org. Archived from the original on 2008-10-11.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Overfishing</span> Removal of a species of fish from water at a rate that the species cannot replenish

Overfishing is the removal of a species of fish from a body of water at a rate greater than that the species can replenish its population naturally, resulting in the species becoming increasingly underpopulated in that area. Overfishing can occur in water bodies of any sizes, such as ponds, wetlands, rivers, lakes or oceans, and can result in resource depletion, reduced biological growth rates and low biomass levels. Sustained overfishing can lead to critical depensation, where the fish population is no longer able to sustain itself. Some forms of overfishing, such as the overfishing of sharks, has led to the upset of entire marine ecosystems. Types of overfishing include growth overfishing, recruitment overfishing, and ecosystem overfishing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pleuronectidae</span> Family of fishes

Pleuronectidae, also known as righteye flounders, are a family of flounders. They are called "righteye flounders" because most species lie on the sea bottom on their left sides, with both eyes on their right sides. The Paralichthyidae are the opposite, with their eyes on the left side. A small number of species in Pleuronectidae can also have their eyes on the left side, notably the members of the genus Platichthys.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">European plaice</span> Species of fish

The European plaice, commonly referred to as simply plaice, is a species of marine flatfish in the genus Pleuronectes of the family Pleuronectidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Demersal fish</span> Fish that live and feed on or near the bottom of seas or lakes

Demersal fish, also known as groundfish, live and feed on or near the bottom of seas or lakes. They occupy the sea floors and lake beds, which usually consist of mud, sand, gravel or rocks. In coastal waters, they are found on or near the continental shelf, and in deep waters, they are found on or near the continental slope or along the continental rise. They are not generally found in the deepest waters, such as abyssal depths or on the abyssal plain, but they can be found around seamounts and islands. The word demersal comes from the Latin demergere, which means to sink.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Common dab</span> Species of fish

The common dab is an edible flatfish of the family Pleuronectidae. It is a demersal fish native to shallow seas around Northern Europe, in particular the North Sea, where it lives on sandy bottoms down to depths of about 100 metres (330 ft). It can reach 40 centimetres (16 in) in length and can weigh up to 1 kilogram (2.2 lb), though most specimens grow no longer than 20 centimetres (7.9 in).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Witch (righteye flounder)</span> Species of fish

The witch, known in English by a variety of other common names including the witch flounder, pole flounder, craig fluke, Torbay sole, and grey sole, is a species of flatfish from the family Pleuronectidae. It occurs on both sides of the North Atlantic Ocean on muddy sea beds in quite deep water. In northern Europe it has some importance in fisheries as a food fish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American plaice</span> Species of fish

The American plaice, American sole or long rough dab is a North Atlantic flatfish that belongs, along with other right-eyed flounders, to the family Pleuronectidae. In the northwest Atlantic it ranges from Greenland and Labrador to Rhode Island, and in the northeast Atlantic it ranges from Murmansk to the English Channel, Ireland and Iceland. They live on soft bottoms at depths of 10 to 3,000 m (33–9,843 ft), but mainly between 90 and 250 m (300–820 ft).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greenland halibut</span> Species of fish

The Greenland halibut or Greenland turbot belongs to the family Pleuronectidae, and is the only species of the genus Reinhardtius. It is a predatory fish that mostly ranges at depths between 500 and 1,000 m (1,600–3,300 ft), and is found in the cold northern Atlantic, northern Pacific, and Arctic Oceans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellowtail flounder</span> Species of fish

The yellowtail flounder, also known as the rusty dab, is a species of flatfish in the family Pleuronectidae. Reaching 56 cm (22 in) in length, it has reddish brown upperparts, pale underparts and yellow fins. Both its eyes are on the right (upper) side of its body. Found in the western North Atlantic, it has been fished commercially by North American fisheries for food. A victim of overfishing, the yellowtail flounder is categorized as "Vulnerable" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

<i>Pleuronectes</i> Genus of fishes

Pleuronectes is a genus of righteye flounders found in the northern oceans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alaska plaice</span> Species of fish

Alaska plaice is a saltwater fish that live in the North Pacific Ocean. Alaska plaice are right-eye flounders which live on the sandy bottoms of the continental shelf, up to 600 metres deep. Their geographic range is from the Gulf of Alaska in the east, to the Chukchi Sea in the north, to the Sea of Japan in the west. Alaska plaice feed mostly on polychaetes, but also eat amphipods and echiurans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">European flounder</span> Species of fish

The European flounder is a flatfish of European coastal waters from the White Sea in the north to the Mediterranean and the Black Sea in the south. It has been introduced into the United States and Canada accidentally through transport in ballast water. It is caught and used for human consumption.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fishing in the North Sea</span>

Fishing in the North Sea is concentrated in the southern part of the coastal waters. The main method of fishing is trawling.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">English sole</span> Species of fish

English sole is a species of flatfish in the family Pleuronectidae. It is a demersal fish that lives on sandy and muddy bottoms in estuaries and near shore areas, at depths of up to 550 metres (1,800 ft). It reaches up to 57 centimetres (22 in) in length, and can weigh up to 1.5 kilograms (3.3 lb). Its native habitat is the eastern Pacific, stretching from the coast of Baja California in the south to the Bering Sea in the north.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Petrale sole</span> Species of fish

The Petrale sole is an edible flatfish of the family Pleuronectidae. It is a demersal fish that lives on sandy bottoms, usually in deep water, down to depths of about 550 metres (1,800 ft). Males can grow to 53 centimetres (21 in) in length, females to 70 centimetres (28 in), and they can weigh up to 3.7 kilograms (8.2 lb). Its native habitat is the Eastern Pacific, stretching from the coast of Baja California in the south to the Aleutian Islands in the Bering Sea in the north.

The flathead flounder is a flatfish of the family Pleuronectidae. It is a demersal fish that lives on bottoms in shallow coastal waters, at depths of between 10 and 600 metres. Its native habitat is the northwestern Pacific, particularly the seas of Japan and Okhotsk, and the coastlines of Kamchatka and Korea. It grows up to 45 centimetres (18 in) in length.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flathead sole</span> Species of fish

The flathead sole is a flatfish of the family Pleuronectidae. It is a demersal fish that lives on soft, silty or muddy bottoms at depths of up to 1,050 metres (3,440 ft). Its native habitat is the northern Pacific, from the seas of Japan and Okhotsk, across the Bering Sea and to the coast of North America, as far south as Point Reyes, United States. It grows to 52 centimetres (20 in) in length, and can weigh up to 1.56 kilograms (3.4 lb); females are typically larger than males. Lifespan is at least 27 years for females and at least 30 years for males.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rock sole</span> Species of fish

The rock sole, also known as the Pacific rock sole or Southern rock sole is a flatfish of the family Pleuronectidae. It is a demersal fish that lives on sand and gravel bottoms at depths of up to 575 metres (1,886 ft), though it is most commonly found between 0 and 183 metres. Its native habitat is the temperate waters of the northern Pacific, from Baja California to Alaska, the Aleutian Islands and southeastern parts of the Bering Sea. It grows up to 60 centimetres (24 in) in length and can weigh up to 1.8 kilograms (4.0 lb), and has a maximum recorded lifespan of 22 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellowfin sole</span> Species of fish

The yellowfin sole is a flatfish of the family Pleuronectidae. It is a demersal fish that lives on soft, sandy bottoms at depths of up to 700 metres (2,300 ft), though it is most commonly found at depths of around 91 metres (299 ft). Its native habitat is the temperate waters of the northern Pacific, from Korea and the Sea of Japan to the Sea of Okhotsk, the Bering Sea and Barkley Sound on the west coast of Canada. Males grow up to 49 cm (19 in) in length, though the common length is around 33.5 cm (13.2 in). The maximum recorded weight is 1.7 kg (3.7 lb), and the maximum recorded lifespan is 26 years.

RV <i>Huxley</i>

RV Huxley was the first research vessel used by the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom explicitly for fisheries research and is regarded as the first vessel yielding data for the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food - Directorate of Fisheries, now known as the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas).

References

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