Yellowfin sole
Encyclopedia
The yellowfin sole, Limanda aspera, is a flatfish
of the family Pleuronectidae
. It is a demersal fish that lives on soft, sandy bottoms at depths of up to 700 metres (2,296.6 ft), though it is most commonly found at depths of around 91 metres (298.6 ft). Its native habitat is the temperate waters of the northern Pacific
, from Korea
and the Sea of Japan
to the Sea of Okhotsk
, the Bering Sea
and Barkley Sound
on the west coast of Canada
. Males grow up to 49 centimetres (19.3 in) in length, though the common length is around 33.5 centimetres (13.2 in). The maximum recorded weight is 1.7 kilograms (3.7 lb), and the maximum recorded lifespan is 26 years.
in 1814, and subsequently as Limanda asprella by Hubbs
in 1915.
.
organisms, including polychaete
s and amphipods
such as hydroid
s, worm
s, mollusks and brittle star
s.
, Pacific halibut
, Pacific cod
and arrowtooth flounder
.
following migration to shallow waters during spring and summer. Yellowfin sole have high reproductive potential, with females producing 1-3 million eggs.
fishing. Having recovered from high fishing rates in the 1960s and 1970s it is currently not considered to be overfished, and the biomass
of yellowfin sole in the Bering Sea is estimated to be high and stable, above its target level. Catch has averaged 94,000 tons from 1998 to 2010, with the 2008 catch of 148,894 tons representing the highest annual catch in 11 years. Landings are limited by crab and halibut bycatch
limits.
Flatfish
The flatfish are an order of ray-finned fish, also called the Heterosomata, sometimes classified as a suborder of Perciformes. In many species, both eyes lie on one side of the head, one or the other migrating through and around the head during development...
of the family Pleuronectidae
Pleuronectidae
Righteye flounders are a family, Pleuronectidae, of flounders. They are called "righteye flounders" because most species lie on the sea bottom on their left side, with both eyes on the right side. The Paralichthyidae are the opposite, with their eyes on the left side.Their dorsal and anal fins are...
. It is a demersal fish that lives on soft, sandy bottoms at depths of up to 700 metres (2,296.6 ft), though it is most commonly found at depths of around 91 metres (298.6 ft). Its native habitat is the temperate waters of the northern Pacific
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
, from Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
and the Sea of Japan
Sea of Japan
The Sea of Japan is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean, between the Asian mainland, the Japanese archipelago and Sakhalin. It is bordered by Japan, North Korea, Russia and South Korea. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it has almost no tides due to its nearly complete enclosure from the Pacific...
to the Sea of Okhotsk
Sea of Okhotsk
The Sea of Okhotsk is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean, lying between the Kamchatka Peninsula on the east, the Kuril Islands on the southeast, the island of Hokkaidō to the far south, the island of Sakhalin along the west, and a long stretch of eastern Siberian coast along the west and...
, the Bering Sea
Bering Sea
The Bering Sea is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. It comprises a deep water basin, which then rises through a narrow slope into the shallower water above the continental shelves....
and Barkley Sound
Barkley Sound
Barkley Sound, also known historically as Barclay Sound, is south of Ucluelet and north of Bamfield on the west coast of Vancouver Island and forms the entrance to the Alberni Inlet...
on the west coast of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Males grow up to 49 centimetres (19.3 in) in length, though the common length is around 33.5 centimetres (13.2 in). The maximum recorded weight is 1.7 kilograms (3.7 lb), and the maximum recorded lifespan is 26 years.
Description
Yellowfin sole have a deep body, with a small mouth, moderately large and closely situated eyes, and a slightly pronounced snout. The upper side of the body is olive to brown in colour, with dark mottling, and dorsal and anal fins are yellowish on both sides of the body, with faint dark bars and a narrow dark line at the base. Scales are rough on both sides of the body.Taxonomy and Nomenclature
The yellowfin sole was originally described as Pleuronectes asper by PallasPeter Simon Pallas
Peter Simon Pallas was a German zoologist and botanist who worked in Russia.- Life and work :Pallas was born in Berlin, the son of Professor of Surgery Simon Pallas. He studied with private tutors and took an interest in natural history, later attending the University of Halle and the University...
in 1814, and subsequently as Limanda asprella by Hubbs
Carl Leavitt Hubbs
-Youth:He was born in Williams, Arizona. He was the son of Charles Leavitt and Elizabeth Hubbs. His father had a wide variety of jobs . The family moved several times before settling in San Diego where he got his first taste of natural history...
in 1915.
Role in ecosystem
The yellowfin sole occupies a moderately high trophic level in the food chainFood chain
A food web depicts feeding connections in an ecological community. Ecologists can broadly lump all life forms into one of two categories called trophic levels: 1) the autotrophs, and 2) the heterotrophs...
.
Diet
The diet of the yellowfin sole consists mainly of zoobenthosBenthos
Benthos is the community of organisms which live on, in, or near the seabed, also known as the benthic zone. This community lives in or near marine sedimentary environments, from tidal pools along the foreshore, out to the continental shelf, and then down to the abyssal depths.Many organisms...
organisms, including polychaete
Polychaete
The Polychaeta or polychaetes are a class of annelid worms, generally marine. Each body segment has a pair of fleshy protrusions called parapodia that bear many bristles, called chaetae, which are made of chitin. Indeed, polychaetes are sometimes referred to as bristle worms. More than 10,000...
s and amphipods
Amphipoda
Amphipoda is an order of malacostracan crustaceans with no carapace and generally with laterally compressed bodies. The name amphipoda means "different-footed", and refers to the different forms of appendages, unlike isopods, where all the legs are alike. Of the 7,000 species, 5,500 are classified...
such as hydroid
Hydroid
-Marine biology:Hydroids are a life stage for most animals of class Hydrozoa, small predators related to jellyfish.-Botany:In mosses, hydroids form the innermost layer of the stem of long, colourless, thin walled cells of small diameter.The cells are dead and lack protoplasm.They function as water...
s, worm
Marine worm
Any worm that lives in a marine environment is considered a marine worm. Marine worms are found in several different phyla, including the Platyhelminthes, Nematoda, Annelida , Chaetognatha, Hemichordata, and Phoronida....
s, mollusks and brittle star
Brittle star
Brittle stars or ophiuroids are echinoderms in the class Ophiuroidea closely related to starfish. They crawl across the seafloor using their flexible arms for locomotion. The ophiuroids generally have five long slender, whip-like arms which may reach up to in length on the largest specimens...
s.
Predators
Yellowfin sole are known to be prey fish for sculpinSculpin
A Sculpin is a fish that belongs to the order Scorpaeniformes, suborder Cottoidei and superfamily Cottoidea, that contains 11 families, 149 genera, and 756 species...
, Pacific halibut
Pacific halibut
The Pacific halibut is found on the continental shelf of the North Pacific Ocean and Bering sea. They are demersal, living on or near the bottom. The halibut is among the largest teleost fish in the world. Halibut are strong swimmers and are able to migrate long distances...
, Pacific cod
Pacific Cod
The Pacific cod, Gadus macrocephalus, is an important commercial food species. It is also known as gray cod, gray goo, gray wolf, grayest or grayfish. It has three separate dorsal fins, and the catfish-like whiskers on its lower jaw. In appearance, it is similar to the Atlantic Cod...
and arrowtooth flounder
Arrowtooth flounder
Arrowtooth flounder are members of the family Pleuronectidae, the right-eyed flounders. It can be caught from the Bering Sea to Santa Rosa Island, California. Spawning occurs from December through February. This species of flounder can live up to 25 years. If not properly handled, the flesh of...
.
Reproduction
Female yellowfin sole reach reproductive maturity when they reach around 30 centimetres (11.8 in) in length (usually around 10.5 years old), and spawnSpawn (biology)
Spawn refers to the eggs and sperm released or deposited, usually into water, by aquatic animals. As a verb, spawn refers to the process of releasing the eggs and sperm, also called spawning...
following migration to shallow waters during spring and summer. Yellowfin sole have high reproductive potential, with females producing 1-3 million eggs.
Commercial fishing
Yellowfin sole is fished commercially, primarily by demersal trawlTrawling
Trawling is a method of fishing that involves pulling a fishing net through the water behind one or more boats. The net that is used for trawling is called a trawl....
fishing. Having recovered from high fishing rates in the 1960s and 1970s it is currently not considered to be overfished, and the biomass
Biomass (ecology)
Biomass, in ecology, is the mass of living biological organisms in a given area or ecosystem at a given time. Biomass can refer to species biomass, which is the mass of one or more species, or to community biomass, which is the mass of all species in the community. It can include microorganisms,...
of yellowfin sole in the Bering Sea is estimated to be high and stable, above its target level. Catch has averaged 94,000 tons from 1998 to 2010, with the 2008 catch of 148,894 tons representing the highest annual catch in 11 years. Landings are limited by crab and halibut bycatch
Bycatch
The term “bycatch” is usually used for fish caught unintentionally in a fishery while intending to catch other fish. It may however also indicate untargeted catch in other forms of animal harvesting or collecting...
limits.