American Plaice

Although it has a superb camouflage reflex, the American plaice has not evaded overfishing. As a result, a moratorium on American plaice was in effect as of 2009, allowing for only a small bycatch to reach the market. Broadly speaking, its habitat is the northwest Atlantic and its commercial and culinary appeal tends to be North American. The brownish-red exterior, prominent lateral line down the center, and a large mouth are defining features of this species. Although the American plaice can grow larger than the Alaska plaice, due to its scarcity it is marketed at between 2 and 3 pounds (1 and 1.4 kg).