lemon sole
{{Short description|Species of fish}}
{{Speciesbox
| name = Lemon sole
| image = Microstomus kitt 1.jpg
| taxon = Microstomus kitt
|status=LC
|status_system=IUCN3.1
| authority = (Walbaum, 1792)
| range_map = Lemon Sole Distribution Map.png
| range_map_caption = Range of the lemon sole
| synonyms = *Pleuronectes kitt Walbaum, 1792
- Pleuronectes microcephalus Donovan, 1803
- Pleuronectes laevis Shaw, 1803
- Platessa pola Cuvier, 1829
- Microstomus latidens Gottsche, 1835
- Pleuronectes gilli Steindachner, 1868
}}
The lemon sole (Microstomus kitt) is a flatfish of the family Pleuronectidae. It is native to shallow seas around Northern Europe, where it lives on stony bottoms down to depths of about {{convert|1400|m|ft}}. It grows up to {{convert|65|cm|in}} in length and reaches about {{convert|3|kg|lb}} in weight.{{FishBase|Microstomus|kitt}}{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.habitas.org.uk/marinelife/species.asp?item=ZG8950 |title=Microstomus kitt |access-date=2009-04-28 |author1=Picton, B.E. |author2=Morrow, C.C. |year=2005 |encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia of Marine Life of Britain and Ireland |publisher=Habitas Online |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071221081733/http://www.habitas.org.uk/marinelife/species.asp?item=ZG8950 |archive-date=2007-12-21 }}
It is a popular food fish.
Identification
The lemon sole is a right-eyed flatfish with a small head and mouth and smooth, slimy skin. The upper surface is reddish brown in colour, mottled with pink and orange and flecks of yellow and green, and a prominent orange patch is typically found behind the pectoral fin, around which the lateral line also curves. The underside of the fish is white. Adults can reach lengths of up to {{convert|65|cm|in}}, but most measure around {{convert|20|-|30|cm|in|0}}.
Origin of the name
The fish is not a true sole, nor does it have the taste of lemon. The English name probably comes from the French name: limande or sole limande.{{citation needed|date=September 2023}} The French term limande may come from the French word lime, meaning "file" (a tool used to smooth metal, wood, etc.), possibly referring to the texture of the fish's skin. Some other authors suggest that "limande" may also come from the French word limon (which means "silt").[http://atilf.atilf.fr/dendien/scripts/tlfiv4/showps.exe?p=combi.htm;java=no; "Limande" in Trésor informatique de la langue française]
Fishing
In 2007 the European Union fishing quota, or Total Allowable Catch (TAC), for lemon sole (and witch) was 6,175 tonnes, of which 3,716 tonnes were caught, mostly by UK fishermen. The quota for both 2008 and 2009 was 6,793 tonnes.{{cite web |url=http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm200809/cmselect/cmeuleg/19-iv/1903.htm |title=1 Fisheries: catch quotas and effort limitation 2009 |access-date=2009-04-27 |date=21 January 2009 |work=Documents considered by the Committee on 21 January 2009 - European Scrutiny Committee |publisher=Hansard |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303182822/http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm200809/cmselect/cmeuleg/19-iv/1903.htm |archive-date=3 March 2016 |url-status=dead }}{{cite book | last = Barratt & Irwin | title = United Kingdom Sea Fishing Statistics 2007 | publisher = Marine and Fisheries Agency | year = 2008 | location = London | pages = 49 | url = http://www.mfa.gov.uk/statistics/documents/UKSeaFishStats_2007.pdf | isbn = 978-0-85521-181-3 | access-date = 2009-04-27 | archive-date = 2009-09-09 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090909204810/http://www.mfa.gov.uk/statistics/documents/UKSeaFishStats_2007.pdf | url-status = dead }}
The Marine Conservation Society rates lemon sole at 3 or 4 on its sustainability scale (where 1 is best and 5 is worst) depending on how and where it is caught.{{cite web|url=http://www.fishonline.org/search/simple/?fish_id=51 |title=Lemon Sole |access-date=2009-04-27 |work=Fishonline |publisher=Marine Conservation Society }}{{cite web|url=http://www.fishonline.org/site/www/advice/eat/?item=18 |title=Fish To Eat: Lemon Sole |access-date=2009-04-27 |work=Fishonline |publisher=Marine Conservation Society }}
See also
Several other species of flatfish are known as lemon soles:
- English sole, Parophrys vetulus
- Southern lemon sole, Pelotretis flavilatus
- Winter flounder, Pseudopleuronectes americanus
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q127463}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Fauna of the British Isles
Category:Fish of the North Sea