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Halibut, California

(U.S. Pacific, Set Gillnet)

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

Market Names:
Chicken Halibut, Monterey Halibut, Southern Halibut, Hirame

Consumer Notes:
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 may be purchasing, as both are labeled simply as "halibut."

Health Alert:
Environmental Defense Fund has issued a health advisory for California halibut due to high levels of mercury.

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.

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