Alaska plaice

The Alaska Plaice is a saltwater fish belonging to the family Pleuronectidae, the right-eye flounders. Described scientifically as <em>Pleuronectes quadrituberculatus</em>, this flatfish reaches a maximum recorded length of approximately 87 cm and a maximum weight of around 3.5 kg. It inhabits continental shelf and slope environments at depths ranging from 0 to 600 metres, with greatest abundance typically over sandy or muddy soft-bottom substrates in cold North Pacific waters. As a pleuronectid, the Alaska Plaice has both eyes located on the right side of its laterally compressed body, an adaptation that allows it to rest camouflaged on the seafloor while surveying for prey above. The species is distributed across the subarctic North Pacific, including the Bering Sea, Gulf of Alaska, and adjacent waters. <em>Pleuronectes quadrituberculatus</em> is a demersal predator feeding on benthic invertebrates such as polychaete worms, amphipods, shrimp, clams, and small fish. Its white underside and cryptic dorsal patterning provide effective camouflage against the seafloor. The Alaska Plaice is taken in commercial bottom trawl fisheries operating in the Bering Sea and North Pacific, contributing to the broader flatfish harvest alongside halibut and other pleuronectids. Details of habitat and range for this species remain limited in the ichthyological literature beyond its known North Pacific distribution.