Halibut

Related Topics:
Halibut :: Halibut_Cove

A halibut is a type of flatfish from the family of the righteye flounders (Pleuronectidae). This name is derived from Dutch heilbot. 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 flatfish; the Atlantic halibut, Hippoglossus hippoglossus, has been known to attain a weight of over 620 pounds (280 kg) and can be eight feet (2.6 m) or greater in length. A Halibut this size was captured near Stamsund in Lofoten (Norway) the 7. of June 2006. A very large halibut is known as a "barn door". Females grow much larger than males with males only rarely reaching 100 pounds. Like the flounders, adult halibut typically have both eyes on the right side of the head. Halibut have speckled or brown top (right) sides and creamy white under (left) sides, and can be distinguished from other flatfish by the tail. Alantic and Pacific halibut have distinctly different bone structures with that of Alantic halibut being eaiser to cut.

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, pollack and flounder. Halibut can be found at depths as shallow as a few metres to hundreds of metres 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 on halibut are the sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus), the orca whale (Orcinus orca), and the salmon shark (Lamna ditropis).

Halibut fishery

The commercial halibut fishery in the North Pacific dates to the late 19th century and today is one 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 which can extend for several miles across the bottom. Typically the fishing vessel hauls gear after several hours 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, 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. The halibut fishery in the Pacific is managed by the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC).

For most of its modern duration the commercial halibut fishery operated as a derby-style fishery where regulators declared time slots when the fishery 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 were necessarily set in advance and fisherman 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. 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 filets can also be smoked but this method is more difficult with halibut meat than it is with salmon. Eaten fresh, the meat has a very clean taste and requires little seasoning.

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 Alantic Fishery of halibut has been extremely depleted through overfishing to such an extent that it may possibly be declared an endangered species. Almost all halibut now bought on the East coast is now Pacific halibut.

Species commonly known as "halibut"

Family Carangidae
- 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, Psettodes erumei

Cultural references

The Monty Python skit "Eric the Half A Bee" featured a pet halibut named Eric. Eric was chosen over thousands of halibuts because the other ones were 'all too flat'.

Halibut also had a major role in Rudyard Kipling's famous book Captains Courageous.

External links

Dutch loanwords | Pleuronectiformes