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Seafood Watch - Seafood Guide

Halibut, California

SEAFOOD	RATING	MARKET NAMES	WHERE CAUGHT	HOW CAUGHT
Atlantic Halibut		Hirame	U.S. Atlantic	Wild-caught
California Halibut		Monterey Halibut, Chicken Halibut, Southern Halibut	U.S. Pacific	Hook-and-line, Bottom Trawl
California Halibut		Monterey Halibut, Chicken Halibut, Southern Halibut	U.S. Pacific	Set Gillnet
Greenland Halibut		Greenland Turbot	U.S. Pacific	Wild-caught
Pacific Halibut		Alaskan Halibut	U.S., Canadian Pacific	Wild-caught

California Halibut

California halibut caught by hook-and-line or bottom trawling is a "Good Alternative."

Consumer Note

California halibut

is often confused with or marketed as Pacific halibut – a different species currently rated as a "Best Choice." To be certain, ask each time what kind of halibut you purchasing, as both are labeled simply as "halibut."

Summary

California halibut, a bottom-dwelling flatfish

found from Baja California to north of San Francisco Bay, is moderately long-lived and popular with recreational and commercial fishermen. Because of its limited range and the loss or degradation of bay and estuary

habitats that provide its nurseries, it is vulnerable to overfishing.

Whether consumers should buy or order California halibut depends on the fishing methods used: hook-and-line or bottom trawl-caught is a "Good Alternative."

However, "Avoid" California halibut caught by gillnets, which frequently catch marine mammals and seabirds. Gillnets account for one quarter of the total California halibut catch.

Scientific Reports About Our Ratings

California Halibut Seafood Watch Report

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How fish are caught or farmed makes a difference.

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