of the gill and tail Because the blood contains both enzymes and reactive hemoglobin iron, bleeding improves the fish’s flavor, texture, color, and market life Workers then clean the fish while it’s still cold, and may wrap it in plastic to protect it from direct contact with ice or air Flatfish Family Relations There are many flatfish, and even more names for them; this list includes only the more common The names are often misleading: American waters don’t harbor true soles; some halibuts aren’t halibuts or turbots turbots True European soles Dover, English sole Solea solea French sole Pegusa lascaris Other European flatfish Turbot Psetta maxima Atlantic halibut Hippoglossus hippoglossus Plaice Pleuronectes platessa Flounder Platichthys flesus West Atlantic flatfish Halibut Hippoglossus hippoglossus Winter, common Pseudopleuronectes flounder, lemon sole americanus Summer flounder Paralichthys dentatus Greenland halibut or Reinhardtius turbot hippoglossoides East Pacific flatfish Petrale sole Eopsetta jordani Rex sole Glyptocephalus zachirus Pacific sand dab Citharichthys sordidus Pacific halibut Hippoglossus stenolepsis ... Hippoglossus hippoglossus Plaice Pleuronectes platessa Flounder Platichthys flesus West Atlantic flatfish Halibut Hippoglossus hippoglossus Winter, common Pseudopleuronectes flounder, lemon sole americanus Summer flounder... Paralichthys dentatus Greenland halibut or Reinhardtius turbot hippoglossoides East Pacific flatfish Petrale sole Eopsetta jordani Rex sole Glyptocephalus zachirus Pacific sand dab Citharichthys sordidus