Dover Sole

U.S. wild-caught Dover sole is a smart seafood choice because it is sustainably managed and responsibly harvested under U.S. regulations.

• Dover sole are flatfish, with both of their eyes located on the right side of their head.

• Their mouths are small relative to their size.

• Their drab coloring helps them camouflage themselves on the ocean floor.

• In some areas, Dover sole are referred to as “slippery sole” because they excrete mucous onto their skin/scales, making them incredibly slippery and hard to pick up.  

• Females grow faster and larger than males, up to 30 inches long, about 2 to 4 inches longer than males.
• Males can live up to 58 years, about 5 years longer than females.
• Dover sole spawn near the ocean floor in waters deeper than 1,440 feet. Spawning seasons vary by location:
  • In the Gulf of Alaska from January to August.
  • Off Oregon from November to April.
  • In Puget Sound from January to March.
• Females produce between 52,000 to 266,000 eggs, which can be as large as 0.1 inches.
• Dover sole eggs are fertilized externally and are found in the upper part of the water column.
• Once hatched, larvae settle into deeper water, then travel inshore to find suitable nursery areas.
• Dover sole larvae usually settle to the bottom after a year of living in the upper water column, but some remain larvae for as long as 2 years.
  • Scientists believe these “holdover” larvae delay settling to the bottom due to unfavorable environmental conditions.

• Dover sole feed during the daytime by sight and smell.
• Their mouths are well adapted for feeding on small invertebrates that live within ocean floor sediments.
• Larval Dover sole feed on small crustaceans, eggs, and larval crustaceans as well as plankton.
• Juveniles and adults feed on worms, bivalves, brittle stars, and small bottom-dwelling crustaceans.
• Seabirds and fish that live near the surface prey on larval Dover sole.
• Sharks, bottom-feeding marine mammals, Pacific cod, arrowtooth flounder, and sometimes sablefish feed on juveniles and adults.

• Dover sole is found in the Pacific Ocean from the Bering Sea and western Aleutian Islands to southern Baja California.

• NOAA Fisheries and the Pacific Fishery Management Council manage the Dover sole fishery on the West Coast.
• Managed under the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan:
  • Limits on the number of permits and fishermen allowed.
  • Limits on the minimum size of fish that may be harvested.
  • Limit on how much may be harvested in one fishing trip.
  • Certain seasons and areas are closed to fishing.
  • Gear restrictions help reduce bycatch and impacts on habitat.
  • A trawl rationalization catch share program includes:
    • Catch limits based on the health of each fish stock and divided into shares that are allocated to individual fishermen or groups.
    • These fishermen can decide how and when to catch their share – preferably when weather, markets, and business conditions are most favorable, allowing the fishery the flexibility to be more environmentally responsible, safer, more efficient, and more valuable.
• NOAA Fisheries and the North Pacific Fishery Management Council manage the Dover sole fishery in Alaska.
• Managed under the Gulf of Alaska Groundfish Fishery Management Plan:
  • Total allowable catch is allocated by regulatory area (western, central, and 2 sub-areas of the eastern Gulf of Alaska).
• Managed under the Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands Groundfish Fishery Management Plan:
  • Dover sole is managed as part of the other flatfish complex.
• In the Gulf of Alaska and Bering Sea:
  • Fishermen must have a permit to participate in these fisheries, and the number of available permits is limited to control the amount of fishing.
  • Managers set limits on how much Dover sole can be caught. Catch is monitored through record keeping, reporting requirements, and observer monitoring.