Pacific Halibut

Estimated Population: unkown

Certain Populations are Threatened and Endangered

Ways to identify this species:  a flatfish similar in appearance to a flounder. They have a dark, often mottled topside with white on the underside.

Biology

• Pacific Halibut are closely related to Atlantic Halibut. 

• The oldest Halibut was aged at 42 years old.

• They can reach over 8(267cm)feet in length with the largest individual weighing a few ounces over 800 lbs(363kg).

• Juveniles remain in shallow coastal waters and move to deeper water as they mature. Mature fish spend the winter in deep water near the continental shelf break at around 600 feet and move into shallow coastal waters during the spring.

• Pacific Halibut are voracious predators eating fish, squid, crabs, clams and other invertebrates.

• Their habitat ranges from the Bering Sea down both sides of the Pacific to Baja, MX to the east and south to Hokkaido, Japan to the west. 

Threats

• Overfishing is the single largest threat to Halibut populations. Current management does not allow overfishing and overfishing is not occurring.

• The unknown impacts of global warming is also a threat to Halibut and all cold water species of the North Pacific.

Halibut are a highly prized species for both commercial and recreational fishermen. Their large size and delicious white meat combine to make Halibut one of the most sought after fish in the North Pacific. They are an extremely hard fighting fish when caught on sport fishing gear. The commercial catch in Alaskan waters averages around 50 million lbs annually. Pacific Halibut are a shared resource with Canada and there is an international committee that sets quotas for each countrie's annual share. There are regular population assessments and annual quotas that maintain healthy populations while still allowing commercial and recreational fisheries. Halibut is one of the best-managed species in the North Pacific.