Baltic flatfish species

There are 5 species of flatfish in the Baltic Sea. Flounder is common in the Northern Baltic (the Gulf of Finland and the Åland Islands) but the other flatfish species: plaice (Pleuronectes platessa), dab(Limanda limanda), turbot (Psetta maxima) and brill (Scophthalmus rhombus) can be found mainly in the Baltic Proper and in the southern parts of the Baltic. Plaice is mainly found in the western Baltic, and the stocks are fluctuating considerably, probably due to irregular migration of plaice from the Kattegat.

According to ICES the flounder catches have been between 8,500 and 19,500 tonnes during 1976-2007. The catches of plaice vary annually between 2000 and 5000 tons, dab between 500 and 3,000 tonnes, turbot between 50 and 1,100 tonnes and brill between 10 and 150 tonnes. According to ICES, the available information on stock structure, discards and uncertainties in age estimations make it impossible to establish reliable assessments and evaluate stock trends of these species. Therefore there is no basis for ICES advice (report/2008/Baltic Sea).