Atlantic Halibut
Hippoglossus hippoglossus

An adult halibut, with diamond-shaped body and muddy brown scales, lying on its side against a white background.

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Halibut is a saltwater fish. It is farmed in Prince Edward Island on a land-based farm.

Woman checking a row of stacked aquaculture tanks at a halibut fish farm.

PEI Aquaculture Alliance

The fish are raised by Halibut PEI in a land-based tank system that uses state-of-the-art recirculation technology. The system treats and filters dirty water before returning it to the large fish tanks.

Good to Know . . .

Close-up of an adult halibut lying on a board, showing the white side of the head, where there is no eye.

A halibut is born with an eye on each side of its head. When it is around two weeks old, one of the eyes will begin to move up and over the top of the halibut’s head, and both eyes will end up together on the same side.

Eyes poke up from the head of a halibut as it lays on its side on the ocean floor, it’s brown and tan scales the same colour as the sand below.

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Halibut have evolved to live on the sea floor. Their unique eyes allow them to search for prey while hiding under debris. Because they do not have a gas-filled swim bladder, they do not naturally float to the surface.

Man on a boat, holding up a halibut wider than he is, and nearly as tall.

iStock/DieterMeyrl

Although halibut typically weigh less than 100 kg, they have been known to grow much larger. Some halibut are more than 2.5 metres in length, and weigh more than 300 kg.

Pieces of smoked halibut hanging on a metal skewer, against a black background.

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There is also a species of halibut that lives in the Pacific Ocean. Smoked halibut is a traditional food for Indigenous peoples of the Northwest Coast.

Multi-legged pink prawn hanging from a human hand, with water and shoreline in the background.

Dgu/Shutterstock

Halibut have sharp teeth and large, gaping mouths. This helps them capture prey, such as crabs and prawns when they are young, and fish when they are older.

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