European plaice (Pleuronectes platessa) fish species and information / pictures of European plaice - Pleuronectes platessa

European plaice (Pleuronectes platessa) fish species information

Scientific Name
Pleuronectes platessa

Common Name
European plaice

Biology
Adults live on mixed bottoms, the older the deeper the occurrence; small individuals are usually seen on bathing beaches (Ref. 9988). Occurs on mud and sand bottom from a few meters down to about 100 m, at sea, estuaries and rarely entering freshwaters (Ref. 59043). Reported as resident intertidal species with homing behavior (Ref. 32612). Feed mainly on thin-shelled mollusks and polychaetes. Batch spawner (Ref. 51846). The most important flatfish for fisheries in Europe. Utilized fresh and frozen; eaten steamed, fried, boiled, microwaved and baked (Ref. 9988). Active at night in the very shallow water while day time is spent buried in the sand. Stationary for long periods, tagging experiments have shown that their spawning migrations can be long. Changes in the environmental conditions have been disadvantageous. Populations in Kattegat and Danish belts

Classification

Classified By
Linnaeus, 1758
Class
Ray-finned fishes (Actinopterygii)
Order
Flatfishes (Pleuronectiformes)
Family
Righteye flounders (Pleuronectidae)

Distribution

Region
Northeast Atlantic
Distribution
Northeast Atlantic: Greenland and Norway south to Morocco; Spain and France in the western Mediterranean. Also known from the White Sea (Ref. 4705) and Estonia (Ref. 33247).
Range
73°N - 20°N, 47°W - 45°E

Environment

Climate
Temperate
Water Temperature From
2 °C
Water Temperature To
15 °C
Depth From - meters
0 m
Depth To - meters
200 m
Zone
demersal
Environment
Marine; brackish; demersal; oceanodromous (Ref. 51243); depth range 0 - 200 m (Ref. 35388), usually 10 - 50 m (Ref. 35388)
Trophic Level
3.26 s.e. 0.39 Based on diet studies.
Occurs in Marine / Salt water
True
Occurs in Brackish water
True
Occurs in Fresh Water
False
Occurs on Reefs
False
Is kept in Aquariums
True

Physical Size and Genetics

Maximum Length
100.0 cm
Common Length
40.0 cm
Phylogenetic Diversity Index
PD50 = 0.7500 many relatives (e.g. carps) 0.5 - 2.0 few relatives (e.g. lungfishes)

Human Uses and Population

Human Uses
Fisheries: highly commercial; aquaculture: commercial; gamefish: yes; aquarium: public aquariums
Vulnerability
High to very high vulnerability (69 of 100)
Resilience
Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (K=0.08-0.1; tm=2-7; tmax=50; Fec=50,000)
Threat To Humans
  Harmless
IUCN Red List Status
  Least Concern (LC)