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Plaice (Pleuronectes platessa)

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Common name - Plaice
Scientific name - Pleuronectes platessa
Rating
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
Caught at sea Seine net
Capture Area North East Atlantic  FAO 27
Stock Area Skagerrak
Stock Detail Subdivision 20
Summary
Plaice is a long-lived species and subject to high fishing pressure. The state of the stock in this area is unknown and advice is that catches from the Western component of the stock should be no more than 9000 t and that in the depleted Eastern Skaggerak, no directed fisheries should occur.
Biology
Plaice is a bottom-dwelling flatfish. It spawns in the early months of the year (January to March) and sometimes makes long spawning migrations. North Sea plaice reach between 35 and 45cm in their 6th year. It is a long-lived species, becoming sexually mature at 3-7 years (females) 2-6 (males) and living 30 years or more. Maximum reported age 50 years.
Stock Information
The plaice stock in the Skagerrak consists of an Eastern and Western component. The latter is closely associated with the North Sea stock. Catches in the Western component normally constitute at least 90-95% of the total catches. 2012 is the first year ICES has advised on plaice for the Skagerrak separately. There is insufficient information available to evaluate the stock hence stock status and fishing mortality are unknown. The two components of the stock show different trends in biomass - a 17% increase in the Western and a 70% decrease in the Eastern component. Fishing mortality is unknown, but effort has reduced. Scientific advice is that catches from the Western component of the stock should be no more than 9000 t and that in the depleted Eastern Skaggerak, no directed fisheries should occur.
Capture Information
Plaice is caught all year round with a predominance from spring to autumn. In Skagerrak, plaice is taken both in a directed fishery and in a mixed fishery with cod, Nephrops, sole and plaice, especially with trawlers with 90 mm mesh size. Most plaice in the Skagerrak are caught by a directed small-scale fishery operating with seines and gillnets, and the discards are estimated to be low (92% of total catch in 2011 was landed and 8% discarded). Of this 34% is fished using demersal seine; 29% demersal otter trawl; and 5% beam trawl. The minimum landing size for plaice in EU waters is 27cm. The approximate size at which 50% of females mature or first spawn is around 30-34cm. Seine netting causes less disturbance to seabed than demersal otter trawling.
References
ICES Advice 2012, Book 6
Alternatives
(Based on method of production, fish type, and consumer rating: only fish rated 3 and below are included.)
Read what the consumer pages of the Good Fish Guide say about this species.