The scientific
name for Yellowfin sole is Limanda Aspera. This
fish lives for a long time and grows slowly.
The Yellowfin sole is abundantly found in Cook
Inlet and in Prince William Sound. This demersal
fish stay on the outer shelf in winter and move
to very shallow waters to spawn and feed in
summer. Its diet consists of benthic, infauna,
epifauna, euphausids and fish.
Females are
highly fecund and produce one to three million
eggs. Spawning takes place in June and July
in shallow waters. Females attain 50% maturity
when they are about ten and half years old and
30cm long. The Yellowfin sole are caught by
trawl fisheries at six years of age. This fish
does not live for more than 31 years. The stock
has been good so far due to low exploitation
but it will go down in the coming years.
Trawl catch processors
mainly harvest Yellowfin sole. The shelf is
the main fishing area. Foreign fisheries over
exploited the Yellowfin sole but in 1980. Due
to foreign and joint venture operations the
annual catch increased. In 1991, the fishery
was completely domesticated.
Some positive
signs show that things have changed. There have
been five years of strict conservation measures.
So the stocks have made a recovery and this
has brought prices down to a reasonable level.
Landings of Yellowfin sole increased from 2000
metric tons in 1995 to 7000 metric tons in 2000.
Now they have gone up to 10,000 metric tons.
The adult Yellowfin
sole feeds on bi-valve mollusks, crustaceans,
and other invertebrates. This fish grows to
a length of 46 cm which is much smaller than
halibut. They live on the sea floor. In winter,
the Yellowfin sole are near the shelf edge and
in spring they migrate towards the inner shelf
for spawning. As the eggs break into young fishes,
they undergo a metamorphosis, in which the left
eye moves to the right side of the head and
the left side of the body loses pigmentation.
Yellowfin sole
are managed by the North Pacific Fishery Management
Council to protect stocks. This fish is found
in the Continental shelf and slope waters of
the North Pacific Ocean, the Bering Sea, and
the Chukchi sea. Yellowfin sole is endangered
by the Pacific halibut. In summer in the Bering
sea, the halibut are found where the Yellowfin
sole exist. This fish is also eaten by other
marine mammals like the Belukha Whales and fur
seals.
Yellowfin sole
during summer feed voraciously when they are
in shallow waters. Soles are benthic feeders.
They feed intensely in June, July and September.
Alaska's Yellowfin
sole are mostly exported to markets in Asia,
especially China. Here it is reprocessed into
frozen skinless, boneless fillets for the North
American market.
Yellowfin sole
should be served on the bone. It is a unique
experience to taste it in this manner. This
will bring up the profits of the food service
industry.
For price
quotes and any further information, feel free
to call us today at:
Siam
Canadian Foods Co., Ltd.
9th Floor, Suite 283/44, Home Place Office Building.
283 Thonglor 13, Sukhumvit 55
Kongton Nua, Wattana, Bangkok 10110,
THAILAND
Call us at +66-2-185-3311
Fax: +66-2-185-3317
Email us at info@siamcanadian.com
