A Review on the Fisheries, Taxonomy, and Status of the Flatfishes in Tropical Waters

Abstract

90.4 million tonnes of fish was captured from the world oceans with a first sale value of US$ 217.5 billion during 2011 of which 52% was contributed by Asian countries. Of the 54,711 recognized living vertebrate species of the world, fishes contribute slightly more than one half. Although flatfishes are common in most marine fish assemblages from the poles to the tropics, most landings data reported to FAO from tropical regions do not list statistics for individual flatfishes except Indian halibut; 54–80% of the total landings of tropical flatfishes consist of unidentified species. With importance being attached to recording the biodiversity of the tropical “mega-biodiversity area,” a review of the current status of the flatfish fishery and taxonomy is necessary to augment further work in this area and explore options for further research.

Keywords:

• Pleuronectiformes
• systematics
• fisheries
• revision
• phylogeny

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors wish to thank the Directors of Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute and National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources for their constant support and encouragement. The first author wishes to thank Head, Demersal Fisheries Division for the support and guidance during the period of study. The work formed part of the first author's Doctor of Philosophy.