Our Food Fishes 



By Prof. J. Z. Gilbert. 

 The Flounder Family. 



"Flat as a flounder" expresses the distinctive character 

 of this family of fishes. The adults are colored on one side. 

 and plain on the other. They swim upon the plain side and 

 both eyes are upon the colored one. The young, though flat, 

 have both sides alike, and swim upright in the water, and 

 have one eye on each side of the head. This last feature 

 changes during growth by the one eye of one side moving 

 around with the twisting of the skull or through to the other 

 side. All have teeth. 



There are three tribes of this family, the Halibuts, the 

 Flounders, and the Turbots. In the first two the ventral fins 

 are symmetrical and alike, while in the last they are unsym- 

 metrical. and the one on the one-eyed side extends along the 

 ridge of the abdomen. The Halibuts are recognized by their 

 month, it being symmetrically developed and having teeth on 

 both sides, while the Flounders have an unsymmetrical mouth 

 and the teeth are chiefly upon the blind side, while the eyes 

 and color are upon the right, thus "right handed." The Tur- 

 bots have the eyes and color upon the left, hence "left hand- 

 ed." In the Halibuts these may occur upon either side. 



The most valuable of these for food are: Common Hali- 

 but, Hippoglossus-hippoglossus, Linn; Jordan "Sole" Floun- 

 der, Eopsetta jordani ; Pacific "Sole," Psettichthys melanostic- 

 tus; Monterey or Bastard Halibut. Paralichthys calif ornicus ; 

 Great or Starry Flounder. Platichthys stellatus. 



The Common Halibut. 



This very common fish is found not only in our waters 

 from San Francisco north, but is found also on both sides of 

 the Atlantic from about 40 north to Iceland and Greenland, as 

 well as north of the English channel. 



It attains a great size, equaling that of the tuna, and single 

 individuals weighing over TOO pounds have been taken. The 

 average fish marketed seldom exceeds six or eight pounds. 



The temperature enjoyed best is a very cold one, being 

 even as low as freezing, hence these fishes are taken in north- 

 ern waters or at the greater depths, where they are often 

 associated with the Cod. 



This family are quite voracious eaters, gathering as they 

 go their regular meal of crabs, mollusks and fish, and often 

 scraps of debris, pieces of wood, iron, pebbles, lost jewelry, 

 etc. They kill their prey by striking it with their powerful 



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