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Petrale Sole

Latin Name

Eopsetta jordani

Alternative Names

brill, California sole, Jordan's founder, round-nosed sole.

Group Name

Groundfish

Habitat

Petrale sole are native to the Pacific, ranging from the Bering Sea to Baja California. They are most abundant off the west coast of the United States and less common in the northern parts of its range. Petrale sole adults inhabit depths from 80 to 550 metres and show tolerance for a wide range of bottom temperatures across their range. They occupy the waters of the continental shelf and slope. Both adults and juveniles show an affinity for sand, sandy mud and occasionally muddy substrates. Juveniles feed primarily on mobile prey, such as cumaceans, carideans, and gammarid amphipods. Adults are piscavores. Petrale sole populations off the west coast of Canada were depleted by the 1980s but some rebuilding had occurred by the late 1990s.

Species Description

Petrale sole are a compressed, oval-shaped fish with a large mouth and a square tail. On their eyed side, their skin has a smooth texture and uniform colour, usually a light to dark brown, becoming white on its underside. They have faint blotches on their dorsal and anal fins. Petrale sole grow to a maximum length of approximately 60 centimetres, and they can live to 30 years.

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