Butter sole (Isopsetta isolepis) is a saltwater species recorded in the United States. It is found at depths of 20–425 m.
Scientific name: Isopsetta isolepis · Water: Saltwater
Size: up to 55 cm
The butter sole is a demersal pleuronectid common in shallow water on soft, silty bottom, recorded from 20 to 425 m. It moves into shallow water as the water warms and to deeper water as it cools, and spawning adults exhibit north-south migrations. It feeds on marine worms, young herring, shrimps and sand dollars, and it is a tasty food fish that is sometimes marketed and also used for mink food. Its range is the eastern Pacific, from Bristol Bay in the south-eastern Bering Sea and Amchitka Island in the Aleutians to Ventura in California. Maximum length is about 55 cm total length, and it can live 11 years, maturing at about 21 cm. It is a minor commercial species and a gamefish, with a medium price category. Fishing vulnerability is low to moderate at 35 of 100 and resilience low. IUCN lists it as least concern.
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