Deepwater Flatfish

Fish known as “deep-sea flatfish” include Pacific plaice (Microstomus pacificus), Pacific plaice (Glyptocephalus zachirus), Pacific flounder (Lepidopsetta bilineata), Arrowtooth flounder (Atheresthes stomias) and the Japanese flounder (Hippoglossoides elassodon), as well as other less abundant species.

They live on the ocean floor of the continental shelf, migrate annually between spawning and feeding grounds. They eat similar foods ranging from crustaceans and mollusks to a variety of other invertebrates.

In turn, they are preyed upon by a wide variety of predators, including cod, halibut, ray or Pacific halibut.

They occupy slightly different ecological niches, based on species-specific preferences for food, substrate (mud, sand, gravel, rock), depth, and other factors.