Fish
European Plaice
Pleuronectes platessa
On a sandy beach at low tide, a juvenile European plaice lies flat, its brown back dotted with orange as it waits for the tide to carry it food.
Overview
The European plaice, Pleuronectes platessa, is a Least Concern flatfish of sandy and muddy bottoms across the north-eastern Atlantic, and among the most important food fish of the North Sea. Its orange spots, shellfish diet, and transformation from a symmetrical larva make it the classic flatfish of European seas.
A fish that starts out symmetrical
Like all flatfish, the plaice begins life with an eye on each side of its head, and only later does one eye migrate over the top of the skull as the young fish takes up life on the bottom.
Status
Least Concern, with North Sea stocks recovering under management.
European Plaice: common questions
How can you tell a plaice?
It has a smooth, brown upper side marked with bright orange to red spots, and a row of small bony knobs behind the eyes.
Why are a plaice's eyes on one side?
It begins life as a symmetrical larva, and one eye migrates across the head as the young fish settles on the bottom.
What does a plaice eat?
It eats cockles, razor clams, other bivalves, and worms, which it crushes with plate-like teeth in its throat.
Where is the European plaice found?
It lives on sandy and muddy bottoms of the north-eastern Atlantic, from Iceland and the Barents Sea to the Mediterranean.