Plaice
Plaice is a common name for a group of flatfish that comprises four species: the European, American, Alaskan and scale-eye plaice.
Commercially, the most important plaice is the European. The principal commercial flatfish in Europe, it is also widely fished recreationally, has potential as an aquaculture species, and is kept as an aquarium fish. Also commercially important is the American plaice.
The term plaice (plural plaice) comes from the 14th-century Anglo-French plais. This in turn comes from the late Latin platessa, meaning flatfish, which originated from the Ancient Greek platys, meaning broad.[1]
Plaice species
European plaice
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Distribution map for European plaice (The Sea Around Us) |
The
Together with
American plaice
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Distribution map for American plaice (The Sea Around Us) |
Like the European plaice, the American plaice is a right eyed flatfish belonging to the family Pleuronectidae. American plaice are an Atlantic species,[9] which range from southern Labrador to Rhode Island. They are also found in Europe, where they are called rough dab or long rough dab. They spawn in the Gulf of Maine, with peak activity in April and May. They are brown or reddish, and are generally smaller than European plaice, with a rougher skin and larger scales. Their maximum recorded length is 82.6 cm (32.5 in), and maximum reported age 30 years. They are usually found between depths of 90 and 250 m (300 and 820 ft) on sandy bottoms with temperatures between −0.5 and 2.5 °C (31.1 and 36.5 °F). They feed on small fishes and invertebrates.[10][11]
The species is considered by the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization to be overfished, with no signs of recovery.[12] Though they are also currently endangered in Canada due to overfishing,[13] the Canadian government believes the species is abundant. Flatfish, as a group, are second-most caught (by weight) only to cod in Canada, with American plaice accounting for 50 percent of all flatfish caught.[14]
American plaice may be an
Alaska plaice
Alaska plaice can live for up to 30 years and grow to 60 cm (24 in) long, but most that are caught are only seven or eight years old and about 30 cm (12 in).[16]
Most commercial
Scale-eye plaice
The
Current conservation and management status
Plaice, along with the other major demersal fish in the
In cuisine and culture
In North German and Danish cuisine, plaice is one of the most commonly eaten fish. Filleted, battered, and pan-fried plaice is popular hot or cold as an open sandwich topping together with remoulade sauce and lemon slices. Battered plaice is often served hot with french fries and remoulade sauce as a main dish; this fish and chips variant is popular[20] and is commonly available on children's menus in Danish restaurants. Breaded frozen plaice, ready to be baked or fried at home, are readily available in supermarkets. Fresh plaice is also oven-baked.
"The flesh of plaice is white, tender and subtle-flavoured."[5]
Smoked plaice is one of the traditional summer time delicacies of Hiiumaa island.
Notes
- ^ "Plaice". Webster's New World College Dictionary. Wiley Publishing. 2009.
- FAO: Species Fact Sheets: Pleuronectes platessa, Retrieved 23 November 2009.
- ^ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2009). "Pleuronectes platessa" in FishBase. November 2009 version.
- ^ European plaice and sole[permanent dead link] World Wide Fund for Nature. Retrieved 22 November 2009.
- ^ a b "Plaice". MSC.org. Marine Stewardship Council. Retrieved 22 November 2009.
- ^ Hogan, C. Michael (2011). "Celtic Sea". In Saundry, P.; Cleveland, C. (eds.). Encyclopedia of Earth. Washington, DC: National Council for Science and the Environment.
- ^ FAO Nominal Catches of Pleuronectes platessa FishBase, Retrieved 23 November 2009
- FAO: Species Fact Sheets: Hippoglossoides platessoides, Retrieved 23 November 2009.
- ISBN 0-7172-5300-7.
- ^ Dery, L. M. "Species Information: American plaice". nefsc.noaa.gov. Fishery Biology Program, Woods Hole Massachusetts Laboratory, National Marine Fisheries Service, Northeast Fisheries Science Center. Archived from the original on 2007-03-11. Retrieved 2007-01-18.
- ^ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2009). "Hippoglossoides platessoides" in FishBase. November 2009 version.
- ^ "Plaice Fishery Recent Assessment". nafo.int. Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization. 2005–2006. Archived from the original on 2007-06-07. Retrieved 2007-01-19.
- ^ a b Bergeron, et al. 1997. Canadian Journal of Zoology 75: 1364-1371.
- ^ "American Plaice". Underwater World. Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Archived from the original on 2007-02-04. Retrieved 2007-01-19 – via dfo-mpo.gc.ca.
- ^ "FAO Nominal Catches of Hippoglossoides platessoides". FishBase. Retrieved 23 November 2009.
- ^ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2009). "Pleuronectes quadrituberculatus" in FishBase. November 2009 version.
- ^ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2009). "Acanthopsetta nadeshnyi" in FishBase. November 2009 version.
- ISBN 0-09-189780-7
- ^ "European plaice and sole"
- ^ "Fish & chips". Seafish.org. Archived from the original on 2008-10-11.
References
- Rijnsdorp, A.D. (1991) Changes in fecundity of female North Sea plaice (Pleuronectes platessa) between three periods since 1900. ICES Journal of Marine Science; 48: 253-280
- Wimpenny, R.S. (1953) The plaice being the buckland lectures. Publisher Edward Arnold
- Gibson, R.N. (2004) Flatfishes: Biology and Exploitation. Blackwell Publishing
- Clover, Charles. 2004. The End of the Line: How overfishing is changing the world and what we eat. Ebury Press, London. ISBN 0-09-189780-7
- 1998 Marine Fisheries Review article
- Bulletin announcing reaching the total allowable catch of Alaska plaice for 2005 (National Marine Fisheries Service)
External links
- Guide to Responsible Sourcing of Plaice - produced by Seafish https://web.archive.org/web/20071008001434/http://www.seafish.org/upload/file/fisheries_management/Plaice%20Factsheet2%20%20final.pdf