A giant flatfish of cold northern seas, the largest right-eyed flatfish on Earth and a prized food fish.
Where it lives
Atlantic halibut inhabit cold continental shelves and slopes across the North Atlantic, from New England and Greenland to Norway and the Barents Sea. Pacific halibut (separate species) range along Alaska and British Columbia. Adults live at depths from 50 to 1000 m over sand, gravel, and rock.
How to recognise it
An enormous right-eyed flatfish — record Atlantic specimens have exceeded 3 m and 300 kg. The body is elongated and almost diamond-shaped. The eyed side is uniform dark olive-brown to nearly black; the underside is white. The mouth is large and full of canine teeth.
Diet & behavior
Halibut are powerful predators rather than passive ambushers, rising off the bottom to chase cod, herring, capelin, and crabs. They are slow-growing and long-lived — fish over 50 years are recorded.
Fisheries & Conservation
Atlantic halibut listed as Near Threatened; Pacific halibut stocks are managed jointly by the US and Canada and remain healthier. Once-collapsed Atlantic stocks have recovered slowly under tight quotas.
Find more fish by letter
Halibut starts with H and ends with T. Browse other fish along the same letter.
Fish that contain a letter from "Halibut":