European Plaice

Overview

The European Plaice is a highly recognizable flatfish known for its distinct oval shape and right-eyed orientation. It is a common, commercially significant species that spends much of its life buried in the seabed to camouflage itself from predators.

Distribution & habitat

This species is widely distributed across the Northeast Atlantic, ranging from northern Norway to Morocco, and is also found in the White, Baltic, and Mediterranean Seas. They are benthic fish that prefer sandy, muddy, or gravelly substrates. While they are most common in shallower coastal waters, they move to deeper areas as they age, with juveniles often utilizing shallow tidal pools and estuaries as nursery grounds.

Appearance

The European Plaice has a smooth, oval-shaped body with small scales and a pearly white underside. Its upper side is typically brown or greenish-brown, decorated with numerous, irregularly distributed bright orange or red spots. A key identifying feature is a row of four to seven bony knobs that runs from behind the eyes toward the gill opening. As a right-eyed flatfish, both eyes are located on the right side of its head.

Biology & behavior

These fish are primarily active at night, often spending daylight hours buried in the sediment. They are known for their ability to slightly adjust their skin color to match their surroundings. The species exhibits seasonal migratory behavior, often moving between shallow coastal feeding areas and deeper offshore spawning grounds. They are long-lived, with some individuals reaching up to 50 years of age.

Feeding

Adults are opportunistic feeders that primarily consume thin-shelled mollusks and polychaete worms. Their diet may also include crustaceans, echinoderms, and occasionally small fish.

Reproduction

Spawning typically occurs in winter and early spring, often when water temperatures are around 6°C. Females are highly fecund, capable of releasing hundreds of thousands of eggs that drift in the plankton before settling in nursery grounds.