California Halibut, Paralichthys californicus

California Halibut, Paralichthys californicus, Right Eyed, Juvenile. Fish caught off the beach at Cardiff-by-the-Sea, California, July 2016. Length: 22 cm (8.7 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Ben Cantrell, Peoria, Illinois.

California Halibut, Paralichthys californicus, Right Eyed, Juvenile. Fish caught from coastal waters within Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur, May 2019. Length 27.4 cm (10.8 inches).

California Halibut, Paralichthys californicus, Left Eyed and Right Eyed. Three fish caught in coastal waters off Bahía Santa Rosalillita, Baja California, September 2015. Catches and photographs courtesy of Barry Mastro, Escondido, California.

California Halibut, Paralichthys californicus, Left Eyed, Ventral Side. Fish caught in coastal waters off Bahía Santa Rosalillita, Baja California, August 2019. Catch and photograph courtesy of Barry Mastro, Escondido, California. Note the significantly arched lateral line.

California Halibut, Paralichthys californicus, Left Eyed. Fish caught from coastal waters off San Diego, California, March 2017. Length: 66 cm (26 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Eli (obsessiveangling.wordpress.com).

The California Halibut, Paralichthys californicus, is a member of the Sand Flounder or Paralichthyidae Family, that is also known as the Fine Flounder and in Mexico as lenguado californiano. Globally, there are twenty-one members of the genus Paralichthys, of which six are found in Mexican waters, three in the Atlantic and three in the Pacific Ocean.

The California Halibut has an elongated oval deep body that has a depth that is 47% to 51% of standard length. Approximately 60% of the population are left-eyed. From a limited sampling I have observed that right-eyed fish have diminished body depths versus left-eyed fish. Their eye side is greenish-brown to black with a combination of dark and light mottling and spotting. Their fins have a uniform color, similar to the body color, but without spotting or markings. Their blind side is off-white to tan. They have a short pointed head with a relatively large mouth that ends under the rear edge of their lower eye. Their eyes are relatively small and set apart with the top eye being slightly behind the lower eye. They have one row of teeth on both jaws with large canines in the front. Their anal fin has 49 to 59 anal rays; their caudal fin is small, short, wide, and significantly doubly concave (a key to quick identification); and, their dorsal fin begins over the upper eye and has 66 to 76 rays. They have 25 to 32 gill rakers. Their eye side is covered with rough scales and their blind side with smooth scales. Their lateral line is arched and extends onto the head and branches toward the top eye and below the lower eye.

The California Halibut is a demersal species that is found over and within sandy and muddy bottoms near structure at depths up to 317 m (1,040 feet). They are also known to enter brackish waters. They reach a maximum of 1.52 m (5 feet 0 inches) in length and 33 kg (72 lbs) in weight with females being larger than males. As of January 1, 2024, the International Game Fish Association world record stood at 30.53 kg (67 lbs 5 oz) with the fish caught from coastal waters off Santa Rosa Island, California in July 2011 and 74 cm (2 feet 5 inches), with the fish caught from coastal waters off San Clemente, California in March 2017. They are opportunistic and well-camouflaged ambush predators that lie in wait half submerged on the ocean floor. They consume crustaceans, anchovies, grunions, sardines, and other small fish. Females have lifespans of thirty years; males twenty-three years.

The California Halibut is a resident of Mexican waters of the Pacific but has a limited distribution being found from Todos Santos, Baja California Sur, northward along with southwest, central and northwest coasts of the Baja. The southerly limit was established by a fish in my possession. There is also a report of an isolated population off Rocky Point in the extreme north of the Sea of Cortez.

The California Halibut can be confused with the Cortez Halibut, Paralichtys aestuarius (broad head profile, no spots on its body, smaller wide fan-like caudal fin that is not doubly concave) and the Dappled Founder, Paralichtys woolmani (less than 20 gill rakers).

From a conservation perspective the California Halibut is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. The are highly prized and the demand has caused significant overfishing by both commercial fishermen, with annual catches of up to 1,000 tons per year made with gillnets and otter trawls, and recreational anglers, up to 300,000 caught per annually. They are now a highly regulated and considered to be an endangered species in some areas. Their viability has also been negatively affected by decline and destruction of coastal wetlands removing access to freshwater and brackish marshes. They are considered to be an exceptional food fish and a favorite of Native Americans. They are sold commercially which includes the sale of live fish in Southern California ethic markets. Fossil remains have dated the California Halibut to the Miocene Period, 5,300,000 years ago.