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Bering flounder fish identification, Habitats, Fishing methods, fish characteristics
The Bering flounder is a demersal fish that lives on bottoms at depths of up to 425 meters (1,394 ft). This flounder is small and slow growing. It may take as long as 11 years to attain a length of just 23 cm, and some individuals grow to 12 in (30 cm). Lifetime is up to 25 years. Its native habitat is the northern Pacific, from Japan and the Sea of Okhotsk across the Bering Sea to Alaska, the Aleutian Islands and Canada's Arctic coast. The tender dietetic meat is pleasant to the taste.
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Bering flounder, Hippoglossoides robustus, or Hippoglossoides hamiltoni, is a flatfish of the family Pleuronectidae, right eye flounders, also known as Plie de Bering, Ikkahnalook, Dorogarei, камбала Палтусовидная Северная or камбала Беринга in Russian, is distributed in the Northern part of Pacific Ocean: from the Japanese island of Hokkaido and Sea of Okhotsk to the north and the northeast to the Bering and Chukchi Seas as well as in Bathurst Inlet, Cape Lisburne and the Arctic coast of Canada. Further to the south to the northwest from the Aleutian bank, Akutan Island to the state of Alaska.
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Description:
Bering flounder has pretty high and thick body, its greatest height nearly equaling half of the length from snout to base of caudal. Profile decurved above the eye. Profile of rear half of the spinal and anal fins of almost straight or a little convex. Caudal fin slightly rounded and short, half of a head. Pectoral fin is half a head; ventrals reaching first or second anal ray. Lateral line is almost straight, slightly curved above pectoral fin but more arched than in related species. Body is covered with uneven ciliated or weakly ctenoid scale, those on cheek smoother; no ctenoid scales on blind side.
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Head is nearly 1/5th of a body length. Mouth is large with uniserial teeth on each jaw; gill rakers long. Maxillary is nearly 1/3rd in head, directed upward anteriorly. Teeth of the single row mostly separated from each other by intervals equal to width of teeth, curved inward, and uniform on the sides; toward front four or five enlarged, not canine-like teeth, preceded by two smaller, leaving the middle toothless. In the lower jaw of nearly uniform size and inclining backwards. Eyes are large, nearly 1/6th of a head size. Eyes are divided by the narrow interorbital space, somewhat elevated ridge, covered with 2 rows of scales; upper surfaces of eyeballs not scaled. Scales on head separate and rarely touch each other.
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Key characters
This flounder can be differentiated from its relatives by its large, almost symmetrical mouth, the straight lateral line with a gentle curve over the pectoral fin, large scales, and the numbers of rays in the various fins. Lower jaw with symphyseal (at the midline) knob and pointed mandibular articulation (at back of the lower jaw).
67-80 Dorsal soft rays
51–62 Anal soft rays
8-12 Pectoral soft rays
87-94 scales on lateral line
2-4 + 9-13 Gill rakers
Max length: 30.0 cm
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Eyed side is reddish brown to grayish-brown or light brownish-yellow. There are brownish speckles and large dark spots on the dorsal and anal fins as well as on the middle body. Their blind side is white with a silvery sheen.
Habitats:
Bering flounders are marine fish; seem to prefer cold water at depths of 18 to 532 m, usually < 150 m. They are benthic species, most abundant on mud, near-bottom temperatures of –1.8 to 7.9°C (Chukchi Sea). They migrate to the Barents Sea from the places of spawning to the places of fattening. Spawning occurs in the summer in shallow waters.
Preys on pricklebacks, eelpouts, poachers, sculpins, cods herring, young cracks and haddock, and amphipods, mollusks, shrimps, crabs, and other small bottom invertebrates.
Spawning:
Males mature at the age of 7-8 years, females - 10-12 years. Spawning takes place in March to July with pick in April to June, in the open sea, in shallow bays and gulfs, above the depths 150 - 200 m, at a temperature of 1-3°C. Reproduction is depending on the size of the fish, in the average 285,000 eggs. Eggs are diameter 2.0-2.7 mm. Eggs and larvae pelagic. Larvae resound on entire sea, the metamorphosis and lowering occurs with the length of 3 cm. Adults attain at least 13 years of age, it takes 11 years to reach 23 cm.
Fishing Methods:
Bering flounders are minor food fish. Usually catches by trawls. It is suitable for they are hot, baking, lettuces and the second dishes.
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