Atlantic Halibut

Name:

Atlantic Halibut

Scientific Name:

Hippoglossus hippoglossus

Characteristics:

The Atlantic halibut, Hippoglossus hippoglossus, is a flatfish of the family Pleuronectidae. It is a demersal fish that lives on sand, gravel or clay bottoms at depths of between 50 and 2,000 metres (160 and 6,600 ft). Its native habitat 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, with males reaching lengths of up to 4.7 metres (15 ft) and weights of 320 kilograms (710 lb). Its lifespan can reach 50 years.

Fish Habits:

The diet of the Atlantic halibut consists mainly of other fish, e.g. cod, haddock, herring, pogge, sand eels and capelin, but it will also eat cephalopods, large crustaceans and other benthos organisms.

Fishing Tactics:

Halibut will eat just about anything, but they particularly like crabs, herring and salmon or mackerel heads. They are large, powerful fish, so the line should be equally strong, without a lot of stretch to it. Heavy weights will help, as will florescent bait (especially if you're looking for bigger fish closer to the bottom). You probably will want to change your bait every 20 to 30 minutes.

Fish ID Help:

The Atlantic halibut is a right-eyed flounder. Its upper surface is a uniformly dark chocolate, olive or slate colour, and can be almost black (though younger fish are lighter and more mottled); the underside is pale. The end of the caudal fin is concave.