Linda Winchell, age 12, of Malcom, Iowa, for her question:
How big does a halibut grow?
A grown halibut may equal the total weight of six 12 year old girls, plus one of their small sisters. However, this giant is rare, for few halibuts live long enough to reach their full size. In fact, these valuable food fish are not as plentiful as they were 30 years ago.
The halibut is a flatfish, and flatfish make us think of flaky meated flounder. When this tender morsel arrives at the table he is just about big enough to fit . Comfortably on a dinner plate, leaving room for a scoop of potatoes and a helping of green peas. We buy our halibut in filets, or slices, because even a modest sized fellow is 3 feet long. The biggest halibut would need a platter 10 feet long and 4 feet wide.
This giant halibut lived perhaps 40 years in the cool waters of the northern Atlantic Ocean. He may tip the scales at 700 pounds, which equals the weight Of three tall, fat men. He gained all this poundage by eating small fish and a variety of shellfish, including crabs and clams, plus an assortment of eggs and larvae of other sea dwellers.
The halibut lies flat like a slippery rug on the floor of the sea and grabs much of his food as it goes by. But sometimes he leaves his lazy bed and goes on the prowl. He swims with his body spread flat, somewhat like an underwater flying carpet. And he is fast enough to catch himself a tummyful of squid or mackerel.
His underside is pasty white. .creatures looking up from below him tend to confuse him with the bright sunlit waters above. His topside is muddy brown, and creatures looking down on him tend to confuse him with the murky ocean depths. The halibut is a graceful swimmer. He dips, curves, swoops and swerves his flat body through the water.
The giant halibut of the Atlantic has a c1ose relative that makes his home in the Cool waters of the northern Pacific. The difference between the cousins is mainly a matter of size. The Pacific halibut is smaller. With a constant supply of snacks and full meals, nibbles and tidbits, in 35'years he may tip the scales at 470 pounds.
The halibut is fished with hook and line in 10 to 500 fathoms of water. Most of these tasty food fish that go to market range from 4 to 6 feet in length and from 50 to 200 pounds in weight. A few are somewhat larger, but the 7 to 10 foot giants weighing 500 to 700 pounds are rare old timers who have survived the hazards of the seas for 35 to 40 years.