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Species Directory

Rock Sole

Overview Science Resources

Rock Sole

Lepidopsetta billineta (southern rock sole) and Lepidopsetta polyxystra (northern rock sole)

Also Known As
Sole, Flounder, Rock flounder, Two-lined flounder, White-bellied flounder

Quick Facts

Region
Alaska, West Coast
Fish Watch. U.S. Seafood Facts Logo
RockSolePhoto.jpg

About The Species

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

Population Status Icon

Population Level

Above target population levels in Alaska.

Fishing Status Icon

Fishing Status

At recommended levels.

Habitat Impacts Icon

Habitat Impacts

Area closures and gear restrictions protect habitat affected by bottom trawls used to harvest rock sole.

Bycatch Icon

Bycatch

Regulations are in place to minimize bycatch.

Status

  • There are two species of rock sole, northern rock sole and rock sole.
  • In the Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands, northern rock sole is assessed and is the primary species that is part of a complex with rock sole, called the “rock sole complex”:
    • According to the 2017 stock assessment, this complex is not overfished and not subject to overfishing.
  • In the Gulf of Alaska, northern rock sole and rock sole are assessed and are the primary species that are part of a complex, called the “shallow water flatfish complex":
    • According to the 2018 stock assessment, this complex is not overfished and not subject to overfishing.
  • On the West Coast, rock sole make up only a small percentage of groundfish harvests. Scientists do not formally assess this species so the population status is unknown.
  • Rock sole are part of the “other flatfish” complex on the West Coast, and are not subject to overfishing based on 2018 catch data.

Appearance

  • Rock sole are a flatfish with both eyes located on the right side of their head.
  • Northern rock sole’s underside is creamy white, whereas southern rock sole’s underside is white with glossy highlights.
  • Rock sole are sometimes called roughback because of the rough scales on their backs. 

Biology

  • Rock sole grow up to 2 feet long and can live for more than 20 years.
  • They are able to reproduce when they reach 4 to 7 years old. 
  • Northern rock sole spawn in midwinter and spring, and southern rock sole spawn in the summer.   
  • Females lay eggs near the ocean bottom, and the eggs stick wherever they land. Eggs hatch between 6 and 25 days later, depending on water temperature.
  • Larval rock sole eat plankton and algae.
  • Early juveniles eat zooplankton, and late juvenile and adults prey on bivalves, worms, amphipods, mollusks, and crustaceans. 
  • Larger fishes, including rock sole, feed on larval and juvenile rock sole.
  • Sharks, marine mammals, and larger fishes prey on adults.
  • Rock sole’s coloring and movements on the sea floor often confuse predators. 

Where They Live

  • Northern rock sole are found from Puget Sound through the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands to the Kuril Islands (north of Japan).
  • Southern rock sole are found from the southeast Bering Sea to Baja California.

Management

  • NOAA Fisheries and the North Pacific Fishery Management Council manage this fishery in Alaska.
  • Managed under the Fishery Management Plans for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands and Gulf of Alaska:
    • Fishermen must have a permit to participate in the fishery, and the number of available permits is limited to control the amount of fishing.
    • Managers set an annual catch limit for rock sole.
    • In the Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands a percentage of the annual catch limit is allocated to the community development quota program, which benefits fishery-dependent communities in Western Alaska. The rest is allocated under a catch share program to a trawl catcher/processor sector based on historic harvest and future harvest needs to improve retention and utilization of fishery resources by the trawl fleet.
    • In the Gulf of Alaska, total allowable catch is allocated by regulatory area (western, central, and two sub-areas of the eastern Gulf of Alaska).
    • Catch is monitored through record keeping, reporting requirements, and observer monitoring.
  • NOAA Fisheries and the Pacific Fishery Management Council manage this fishery on the West Coast.
  • Managed under the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan:
    • Only a small amount of rock sole is harvested incidentally in fisheries off the West Coast.
    • Rock sole is included in the groundfish fishery management plan, but it is not assessed or directly managed. 

Featured News

RockSolePhoto.jpg
Feature Story

Rock Sole in Alaska May Do Well in Warmer Ocean

Alaska
Larva-thumb.jpg
Feature Story

Northern Rock Sole Larvae Appear Resilient to Some Effects of Ocean Acidification

Alaska
View More News

Recreational Fishing Regulations

Commercial Fishing Regulations

Subsistence Fishing Regulations

Science Overview

NOAA Fisheries conducts various research activities on the biology, behavior, and ecology of rock sole. The results of this research are used to inform management decisions for this species.

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Rock Sole in Alaska

Our research in Alaska on the distribution and abundance, growth and maturity, habitat preference, migration behavior, and food relationships of rock sole provides information crucial for understanding and managing this species.

Learn More >

Research & Data

2020 Assessment of the Northern Rock Sole stock in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands

Northern rock sole (Lepidopsetta polyxystra n. sp.) are distributed…
January 14, 2021 - Assessments ,
Alaska

2019 Assessment of Northern and Southern Rock Sole Stocks in the Gulf of Alaska

The Gulf of Alaska (GOA) northern and southern rock sole assessment has…
February 03, 2020 - Assessments ,
Alaska

2019 Assessment of the Northern Rock Sole Stock in the Bering Sea Aleutian Islands

Northern rock sole (Lepidopsetta polyxystra) are assessed on a biennial…
January 30, 2020 - Assessments ,
Alaska

2018 Assessment of Northern and Southern Rock Sole Stocks in the Gulf of Alaska

The Gulf of Alaska (GOA) northern and southern rock sole assessment has…
January 30, 2019 - Assessments ,
Alaska
View More

Documents

Document

Amendment 80 Checklist

Small Entity Compliance Guide for the Amendment 80 Groundfish Trawl Fisheries.

Alaska
Document

Supplemental Environmental Assessment/Regulatory Impact Review/Final Regulatory Flexibility Analysis for Amendment 75 to the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Area - Changes in IR/IU Flatfish Requirements

Analysis of alternative actions to address the issue of the improved retention and improved…

Alaska
Document

Environmental Assessment of an Experimental Fishing Permit to Test the Effects of an Open-top Trawl Configuration on Species and Size Composition of Catch in Trawls Targeting Yellowfin Sole

This Environmental Assessment addresses an experimental fishing permit application by the…

Alaska
More Documents

Data & Maps

Data

2020 Assessment of the Northern Rock Sole stock in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands

Northern rock sole (Lepidopsetta polyxystra n. sp.) are distributed primarily on the eastern Bering…

Alaska
Data

2019 Assessment of Northern and Southern Rock Sole Stocks in the Gulf of Alaska

The Gulf of Alaska (GOA) northern and southern rock sole assessment has been moved to a 4-year…

Alaska
Data

2019 Assessment of the Northern Rock Sole Stock in the Bering Sea Aleutian Islands

Northern rock sole (Lepidopsetta polyxystra) are assessed on a biennial stock assessment schedule…

Alaska
Data

2018 Assessment of Northern and Southern Rock Sole Stocks in the Gulf of Alaska

The Gulf of Alaska (GOA) northern and southern rock sole assessment has been moved to a 4-year…

Alaska
More Data and Maps

Research

2019 North Pacific Groundfish Stock Assessments

2019 North Pacific Groundfish Stock Assessment and Fishery Evaluation Reports for 2020 Fisheries.

Alaska

North Pacific Groundfish Stock Assessments and Fishery Evaluation Reports

Alaska Groundfish Stock Assessments, Economic Status Reports, and Ecosystem Status Reports.

Alaska

Rock Sole Research in Alaska

The rock sole, along with other flatfishes are an important trawl fishery resource in the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska. There are two species, the southern rock sole which is more common in the Gulf of Alaska and the northern rock sole which are…

Alaska
More Research
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