Greenland Turbot

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

• A cousin of the Pacific halibut, Greenland turbot are a right-eyed flatfish. 
• As they develop, their left eye migrates across the top of the skull toward the other eye on the right side.
• They are yellowish or grayish-brown on top and paler on their undersides.
• They have large mouths and large teeth. 

• Greenland turbot grow quickly, can reach up to 25 pounds, and can live up to 21 years.
• Females are able to reproduce when they reach about 2 feet in length and 9 years old.
• They spawn in the winter in deep water near the ocean floor.
• When they spawn, females release about 60,000 to 80,000 eggs, and males fertilize them as they swim past.
• Once hatched, larvae drift hundreds of miles out of the deep ocean into shallower waters over the continental shelf to feed and grow.
• After a few years, larvae move back out to deeper waters over the continental slope.
• Greenland turbot feed on crustaceans, squid, and various fish.
• Narwhals, Pacific cod, and halibut prey on Greenland turbot.

• Greenland turbot are found throughout the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands and Gulf of Alaska regions in the North Pacific Ocean. They are less common in the Gulf of Alaska.
• They are also found in the Northwest Atlantic in cold Arctic waters and deep bays around Newfoundland, Labrador, Baffin Island, and the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

• NOAA Fisheries and the North Pacific Fishery Management Council manage the Greenland turbot fishery.
• Managed separately but similarly under the Fishery Management Plans for Groundfish in the Gulf of Alaska and the Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands.
  • Permits are required and the number of available permits is limited to control the amount of fishing.
  • Managers determine how much turbot can be harvested and then set annual catch limits. 
  • Catch is monitored through record keeping, reporting requirements, and observer monitoring.
  • Certain seasons and areas are closed to fishing due to habitat and other species considerations (e.g., king crab and Pacific halibut).
  • In the Bering Sea, a percentage of the allowable catch is allocated to the community development quota program, which benefits fishery-dependent communities in western Alaska.

• In 2018, commercial landings of Greenland turbot totaled more than 3.88 million pounds and were valued at approximately $2.3 million. The majority of the catch comes from the Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands.
• Gear types, habitat impacts, and bycatch:
  • Bottom trawls and longlines are used to harvest Greenland turbot.
  • Turbot are harvested over sand and mud ocean bottoms, which are more resilient to impacts from fishing than other habitats.
  • Longlines can incidentally catch seabirds and fish. Fishermen must use seabird avoidance devices, which help reduce seabird bycatch.
  • Fishermen use circle hooks to increase survival of undersized halibut caught and released during commercial fishing. 
  • There are limits on the amount of halibut that groundfish fisheries can incidentally catch. If the limit is reached, managers close the fishery for the remainder of the season.
  • A number of regulations, such as gear restrictions and closed areas, are used to prevent and reduce bycatch in the fishery.
  • Greenland turbot are also harvested incidentally in fisheries targeting other groundfish, including arrowtooth flounder, sablefish, and Pacific cod.