Flatfish

Alaska Plaice / Market Overview

Alaska Plaice (Pleuronectes quadrituberculatus)

Alaska plaice is one of the major shallow water flatfish species in the eastern Bering Sea ecosystem. They are highly concentrated in the shallow continental shelf waters of the eastern Bering Sea.

Since implementation of the Fishery Conservation and Management Act (FCMA) in 1977, Alaska plaice generally have been harvested lightly. No major commercial fishery targets this species.

Catches of Alaska plaice increased from approximately 1,000 t in 1971 to a peak of 62,000 t in 1988, the first year of joint venture processing (JVP).  Part of this increase was due to increased species identification and reporting of catches in the 1970s.

A variety of fisheries in the BSAI area account for the harvest of Alaska plaice. From 2002 to 2006, the yellowfin sole fishery accounted for 81-87% of the catch, with flathead sole, rock sole, and Pacific cod fisheries making up the remainder.

Alaska plaice are grouped with rock sole, flathead sole, and other flatfish fisheries under a common prohibited species catch (PSC) limit. In recent years, these fisheries have been closed prior to attainment of total allowable catch (TAC) due to the bycatch of halibut. Typically, they are also closed during the first quarter due to a seasonal bycatch cap. Alaska plaice were placed on bycatch status each spring from 2005 to 2007 due to the attainment of a very low TAC (relative to the allowable biological catch, ABC) for this species.

Current stock assessments characterize Alaska plaice as being in a high and stable condition.

Data sourced from Alaska Fisheries Science Center (www.afsc.noaa.gov)

Facts

Like yellowfin, rock, and flathead sole, Alaska plaice is a relatively long-lived species of groundfish. It occupies separate winter, spawning, and summertime feeding distributions on the eastern Bering Sea shelf.