Paralichthys californicus
California Halibut
Collection Details
Specimens
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Pleuronectfiormes (Flatfishes)
Paralichthyidae (Sand Flounders)
Paralichthys
Paralichthys californicus (California Halibut)
Description
This species account was compiled from
FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2025. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, version 04/2025.)
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Characters
Body shape: short and / or deep.
Distribution
Eastern Pacific: Quillayute River in northern Washington, USA to southern Baja California, Mexico. Also in northern Gulf of California (Ref. 9330).
Habitat Associations
Brackish, marine. demersal. depth range 0-183 m. Found in: estuaries.
Biology
Adults are found mostly on sandy bottoms near shore to 183 m depth. Juveniles are common beyond surf line, larvae settling in bays and estuaries (Ref. 122321). Adults feed during the day (Ref. 9643) on fishes and squids, often well off the bottom. An important sport and commercial fish. They are caught with trammel nets (Ref. 9330). Marketed as fresh fillet (Ref. 9330). Adults migrate to shallower waters to spawn (Ref. 9643). Has very sharp teeth and is known to bite if handled (Ref. 13513).
Max length: 152.0 cm TL; max weight: 33000 g; max age: 30 years.
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; nonguarders (open water/substratum egg scatterers); parental care: none. Distinct pairing (Ref. 205). They are batch spawners that exhibit indeterminate fecundiity and undergo asynchronous ovarian development (Ref. 122336). Spawning interval is between 7 and 14 days while spawning frequency is around 12 to 13 times per year.
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2007-05-25. Resilience: Low (K=0.08; tmax=30; tm=2.6).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: commercial; gamefish.
References
Breder, C.M. and D.E. Rosen (1966) Modes of reproduction in fishes. T.F.H. Publications, Neptune City, New Jersey. 941 p.
Eschmeyer, W.N., E.S. Herald and H. Hammann (1983) A field guide to Pacific coast fishes of North America. Boston (MA, USA): Houghton Mifflin Company. xii+336 p.
Comments On Paralichthys californicus