Atlantic halibut

Scientific Name: – Hippoglossus hippoglossus

The Atlantic halibut, Hippoglossus hippoglossus, is a flatfish of the family Pleuronectidae. They are demersal fish living on or near sand, gravel or clay bottoms at depths of between 50 and 2,000 m (and ft). The halibut is among the largest teleost (bony) fish in the world. Halibut are strong swimmers and are able to migrate long distances. Halibut size is not age-specific, but rather tends to follow a cycle related to halibut (and therefore food) abundance. The native habitat of the Atlantic halibut is the temperate waters of the northern Atlantic, from Labrador and Greenland to Iceland, the Barents Sea and as far south as the Bay of Biscay. It is the largest flatfish in the Atlantic and one of the largest species of flatfish in the world, reaching lengths of up to 4.7Śćm and weights of 320Śćkg . Its lifespan can reach 50 years.

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