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Blackfin Flounder fish identification, Habitats, Fishing methods, fish characteristics
The blackfin flounder, Glyptocephalus stelleri, is a demersal fish that lives in temperate waters at depths of between 26 and 5,200 ft (8 and 1,600 m), and it is most commonly found between 49 and 2,600 ft (15 and 800 m), is often both inshore and inland slopes, usually deeper than other flounders. Its native habitat is the northern Pacific, from the Sea of Japan along both shores to the Strait of Tartary and southern Kuril Islands and out into the Bering Sea. It can live up to 23 years and grows up to 20 in (52 cm) in length, and can weigh up to 3.3 lb (1.5 kg).
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The blackfin flounder, Glyptocephalus stelleri, is flatfish of the family Pleuronectidae, also known as Korean flounder, Hire-garei, Hire-guro, Nameta garei in Japanese, Gi-reum-ga-ja-mi in Korean, Малорот Стеллера, Дальневосточная Длинная Камбала, or Длинная Камбала in Russian, widely distributed in the waters of the Primorsky region, especially in the Hall, Peter the great, in the sea of Japan, Tatar strait, sea of Okhotsk, off the Pacific coast of Japan, Kuril Islands and Kamchatka peninsula, and out into the Bering Sea.
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Description:
Body is elongating, greatest depth is 1/3rd of a length. Head is small, 1/5th in length to base of caudal fin. Mouth is small and curved, jaw asymmetric, the maxillary reaching to below front of lower eye. Teeth on blind side of jaws, extending very slightly around on colored side, especially on lower jaw; 12 to 14 teeth on mandible, 10 to 12 on prernaxillary. They are strong and blunt in a single even row, arranged side-by-side, forming a continuous cutting edge. Gill rakers short and pointed, 6+10-11 in number. The eyes are large; upper eye a little posterior to lower, almost 1/4th in head. Interorbital space rather wide and convex, the bone is very narrow but not sharp between the eyes, located on the right side of the body, continued backwards and upwards on head behind eyes as a blunt, scaled ridge. The top edge of the danger of the right eye is bordering on either side. At the base of the anal fin has a thorn. There are two pairs of the ball in front of the eyes.
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Origin of dorsal fin is beginning from the center point of the tail fin is extended to the front, opposite slightly on blind side of body. Longest dorsal rays equal in length to those of anal and contained a little longer than half in head. Pectoral usually rounded its length 2 /3rd in head on eyed side and half in head on blind side. Caudal rounded, slightly angulated at ends of outer rays. Lateral line is almost straight, with a low arch anteriorly above pectoral fins; its height 1/2 the long diameter of upper eye. Body covered with smooth cycloid scales on eyed side, and rounded scales on blind side. There are no scales on snout and eyes.
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Key characters
Body is narrow and small mouth. The eyes are large, such as the side edge of the head above the eyes, and access to the back of the eye, rather than below. Lateral line is almost straight, slightly curved towards the head above the pectoral fins. There are two pairs of the ball in front of the eyes. There is a thorn at the base of the anal fin. They have black dorsal fin and anal fin margin. Blind side is gray; there is mucus in the head several large sunken holes.
83-100 Dorsal soft rays
70-83 Anal soft rays
10-13 Pectoral rays
10-11 Gill rakers
48-50 Vertebrae
85-115 Scales in Lateral line
Max length: 52cm; common: 34cm
Max. Weight: 1,500 g
Max. Age: 23 years
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Color is light brown, indistinctly mottled with darker brown spots; some species with dark blotch on lateral line at tip of pectoral, another just behind middle of straight part of lateral line, and very inconspicuous blotches at base of dorsal and anal fins. All fins are light brown with banding, but the pectoral fins and tail fins are black. Blind side is gray to dusky brown, more or less spotted; the blind side of the vertical fins always dark. Both sides in life sometimes very much blotched with rusty red, sometimes without red. There is mucus in the head several large sunken holes.
Habitats:
The blackfin flounder is a marine, demersal flatfish, lives at depth range 8 - 1600 m, usually 300 – 450m and in some areas up to 800 m on Pearl or sand bottoms. They prefer seasonal migration, which, however, is weaker than other flounders. In the winter blackfin flounder are at depths from 200 up to 450 m, and in some areas up to 750 m. In the summer they move to shallow waters and is distributed at depths of 25-200 m in the waters with temperatures from 1 to 14°c. While most of the fish prefers a depth of more than 50 m they occupy middle and lower portions of coastal shallow water. During the spring and summer migrations during spawn passes, extended out over time.
During the summer blackfin flounder intensively eats small crustaceans, mollusks and benthic creatures. With the beginning of cold weather they move at depth.
Spawning:
Sexual maturity reaches on the 4-th year of life at minimum length 12 cm., most mature species from 15 cm to 24 cm. Females mature at larger size than males, also females are more than males. They spawn at the end of May and lasts till August, peak spawning occurs in June-July. Female can lay up to 370.000 eggs. Eggs lay at some distance from the coast over depth 25-75 m at a temperature of benthic water 4-14°c.
1 year after hatching larvae grow up to 5cm, after the 2nd year - 8cm, 3rd – 13cm, 4th 14-15cm, five-year up to 17-19cm. They prey to feed creatures, and most have to lug, followed by the shrimp, squid, pickled shrimp.
Fishing Methods:
They are very important fisheries species, consisting of a large share of the catch in the Peter the great, and in the Northern Primorye. Usually catch is dominated by individuals under the age of 4-13 years length from 24 to 40 cm and weighing -0.58 0.19 kg.
Meat of blackfin flounder is fatty, but is characterized by low qualities. Bad remains fresh, requires quick utilization or processing. Meat is suitable for use in fresh or frozen, or canned. Nutritional value of water: approx. 78 g, protein: 16, 4g, total fat/lipid: up to 12, 0 g, carbohydrate: 0.0 g, ashes: 1, 4g. Calorie: 112Kkal/100 g. Delicious seasoned and grilled fish.
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