Is the clue to shrinking halibut in their stomachs — and those of arrowtooth flounder?
Fish stomachs may help solve the mystery of why Alaska halibut today are so small for their age. Halibut weights are about a third of what they were 30 years ago, scientists have found. A culprit could be arrowtooth flounders, whose numbers have increased 500 percent over the same time to outnumber the most abundant species in the Gulf of Alaska — pollock. Fishermen for decades have claimed the toothy flounders, which grow to about 3 feet in length, are blanketing the bottom of the Gulf and many believe they are out-competing halibut for food. A study by Southeast Alaska researchers aims to find out. “People think that potentially arrowtooth are competing with halibut for space and/or prey,,, Read the rest here 10:04
[…] Jellyfish are increasing their colonization of the northern Bering Sea. And arrowtooth flounder, a low-value flatfish that once appeared poised to take over Alaska’s continental shelf, are in […]