American Plaice Identification Guide

Key identification features

• Right-eyed flatfish (both eyes on the right side) with an oval, moderately deep body
• Reddish-brown to grayish-brown eyed side with subtle mottling; blind side pale white
• Large mouth and pointed snout, with well-developed teeth on both jaws
• Lateral line gently arched over the pectoral fin, not sharply curved
• Grows to 12-24 inches, with rough (ctenoid) scales on the eyed side giving a slightly sandpapery texture

Common look-alikes

• Winter flounder: has a small, down-turned mouth and a thick-bodied build, unlike the plaice's larger mouth and slimmer profile
• Witch flounder (grey sole): shows a nearly straight lateral line and a small mouth, versus the plaice's arched line and larger jaws
• Yellowtail flounder: has a brighter yellow-orange tail and fin edges, lacking the plaice's dull reddish-brown tone

Where you'll see one

American plaice live on sandy and muddy bottoms of the continental shelf on both sides of the North Atlantic, from the Gulf of Maine and Grand Banks to Greenland, Iceland, and northern Europe, usually in cold water from about 30 to 1,300 feet deep.