Dover sole (Microstomus pacificus) is a saltwater species recorded in the United States. It is found at depths of 10–1370 m.
Scientific name: Microstomus pacificus · Water: Saltwater
Size: up to 76 cm
The Dover sole is a demersal pleuronectid whose adults occur on mud bottom, moving into deep water as the water cools; it produces large amounts of slime, which may cover other fishes when it is caught in trawls. It is recorded from 10 to 1,370 m. Its range is the eastern Pacific, from Navarin Canyon in the Bering Sea to Stalemate Bank in the Aleutian Islands and San Cristobal Bay in Baja California. Maximum length is about 76 cm total length, commonly about 40 cm, and it can live 56 years, maturing at about 38.5 cm. It is a commercial species and a gamefish, marketed as mink food or as fillet, with a medium price category. Fishing vulnerability is high to very high at 71 of 100 and resilience low, and climate vulnerability is moderate at 43 of 100. IUCN lists it as least concern.
Back to home · United States · Species library