Market Name: Pacific halibut, northern halibut,Alaska halibut
Scientific Name: Hippoglossus stenolepis
|
| Pacific halibut is the largest bottom-dwelling flatfish in the world. It is found along the Pacific Coast from northern California to the Bering Sea and westward to Russia and the Sea of Japan in depths of 60 to 3,600 ft. Halibut is taken by longlines, primarily in Alaska and British Columbia. Small amounts are landed in Washington, Oregon and California. Russia also contributes a share. In the mid-1990s, Canada and Alaska implemented systems by which fishermen harvest individual quotas any time of year. This has improved quality, reduced frozen inventories, stabilized market flow and caused a major shift in product form from frozen to fresh. Nearly 80 percent of northern halibut is marketed fresh, a reverse from the early '90s, when 80 percent was marketed frozen. The United States and Canada are primary consumers of Pacific halibut, though Japan, Europe (especially Germany) and China take a fair share as well. The Japanese get most of what they need from Japanese fisheries off the Russian coast. There's a thriving, traditional market for frozen halibut in Toronto, where it is turned into fish sticks. |
Markets: US - Canada - Japan - Europe - China