Hawaiian Fishes 



117 



the opah is firm, rich, of a reddish shade somewhat Hke the tunnies, and 

 is unsurpassed as food. It has been described as rich, firm, deHcate, and oily. 

 Although widely distributed the fish is quite rare. It is found in open 

 water in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. It is a slow swimmer and 

 Hves in the waters from the surface to depths of one hundred feet. 



THE FLOUNDER, HALIBUT, OR 

 FLATFISH FAMILY 



56 Family Vletironectid.^.e 

 The members of the flounder family have bodies which are strongly 

 compressed and which are oval or elliptical in outline. They all go 

 through a very unusual development before reaching the adult stage. 

 They begin life swimming in an upright position as other fishes do, but 

 they desert this upright position as they grow older and turn over onto 

 one side. The eye on the lower side moves around to the upper side so 

 that both eyes come to lie on the same side of the body. While the 

 upper side is usually pigmented the lower side is usually plain. The mouth 

 is sometimes distorted and the pectoral fins are unequal. 



