European plaice

Biology

The European plaice is about 51 to 100 centimetres long. Is one of the most well-known flatfishes and is also one with the greatest commercial interest in the North Atlantic. Plaice is a benthivore feeding on a variety of small animals that live near the ocean floor, such as bivalves, polychaetes and crustaceans. It lives in shallow waters, buried in the sand. Also, it can tolerate variations in salinity and enters estuaries.

Conservation

The species is currently recovering from the historical over-fishing in the 1970-1980s, and spawning stock shows an increasing trend. However, oil and gas exploitation occur in the distribution area of the species, which might have a negative impact.

Curiosities

When the larva of this fish hatches, it lives in the water column for a period of one to two months, with a fusiform body. Afterwards, it undergoes a metamorphosis that places its eyes on the right side of the body and adapts it to life on the sea floor.