Publication Abstract

Atlantic Flatfish Fisheries

R. Millner, S Walsh, J.M. Diaz de Astarloa

Flatfish fisheries occur throughout the Atlantic from the deep Arctic to the coasts of southern Africa and South America. In 1998, flatfish landings from the Atlantic amounted to 0.4 million tonnes or nearly half of the total world flatfish catch with the largest and most heavily exploited fisheries occurring in northern waters. In this chapter, the Atlantic fisheries have been divided into three regions covering the northeast, northwest and southern Atlantic. The northwest covers the western Atlantic (FAO area 21) from Greenland across to Labrador and down to Cape Hatteras at 35⁰N and also includes the west central Atlantic American States (FAO 31). The northeast Atlantic (FAO area 27) extends from east Greenland and the Barents Sea in the north down to Gibraltar at latitude 36⁰N. The third area considered covers the whole south Atlantic, including the coasts of Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina in the west and Angola, Namibia and South Africa in the east (FAO areas 41 and 47). Although there are productive flatfish fisheries in areas of the central Atlantic such as the shallow coastal region around the North African coast, the absence of detailed statistics has meant that they have not been considered further in this review.

Reference:

R. Millner, S Walsh, J.M. Diaz de Astarloa. 2005. Atlantic Flatfish Fisheries. R .N. The Biology of the Flatfishes (ed by Gibson), pp. 240-271.