Fascinating and instantly recognizable, flatfishes are unique in
their asymmetric postlarval body form. With over 800 extant species
recognized and a distribution stretching around the globe, these
fishes are of considerable research interest and provide a major
contribution to commercial and recreational fisheries worldwide.
This second edition of Flatfishes: Biology and
Exploitation has been completely revised, updated and enlarged
to respond to the ever-growing body of research. It provides:

* Overviews of systematics, distribution, life history
strategies, reproduction, recruitment, ecology and behaviour

* Descriptions of the major fisheries and their
management

* An assessment of the synergies between ecological and
aquaculture research of flatfishes.

Carefully compiled and edited by four internationally-known
scientists and with chapters written by many world leaders in the
field, this excellent new edition of a very popular and successful
book is essential reading for fish biologists, fisheries
scientists, marine biologists, aquaculture personnel, ecologists,
environmental scientists, and government workers in fisheries and
fish and wildlife departments. Flatfishes: Biology and
Exploitation, Second Edition, should be found in all libraries of
research establishments and universities where life sciences, fish
biology, fisheries, aquaculture, marine sciences, oceanography,
ecology and environmental sciences are studied and taught.

Reviews of the First Edition

* A solid, up-to-date book that advanced students and
research scientists with interests in fish biology will find
interesting and useful. Aquaculture International

* A data-rich book that outlines much of what you might ever
want to know about flatfishes. Fish & Fisheries

* Well presented with clear illustrations and a valuable
source of information for those with a general interest in fish
ecology or for the more specialist reader. You should make sure
that your library has a copy. J Fish Biology

* An excellent and very practical overview of the whole,
global flatfish scene. Anyone interested in flatfish at whichever
stage of the economic food chain should invest in a copy
immediately. Ausmarine

* Because of the high quality of each chapter, written by
international experts, it is a valuable reference. Reviews in
Fish Biology and Fisheries

Robin N. Gibson is an Honorary Research Fellow of the Scottish Association for Marine Science, Scottish Marine Institute, Oban, Scotland. His lifetime research interests have been in the ecology and behaviour of intertidal and shallow water marine fishes.

Richard D.M. Nash is a senior research scientist at the Institute of Marine Research, Bergen, Norway. His research is mainly concerned with recruitment processes and the early life history dynamics of marine fishes. He has particular research interests in the dynamics of nursery grounds.

Audrey J. Geffen is a professor in the Department of Biology, University of Bergen, Norway. Her research is primarily concerned with fish growth in natural and culture environments. A significant aspect of her work involves theoretical and applied research on the growth and formation of fish otoliths, analysing the structure and composition as a record of life history.

Henk W. van der Veer is a senior scientist at the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, The Netherlands. His main research topics are related to fish recruitment, concentrating on flatfishes and the functioning of coastal nursery areas. His work is strongly focussed on field observations supported by and embedded in ecological theory, especially the Dynamic Energy Budget theory.

Fascinating and instantly recognizable, flatfishes are unique in their asymmetric postlarval body form. With over 800 extant species recognized and a distribution stretching around the globe, these fishes are of considerable research interest and provide a major contribution to commercial and recreational fisheries worldwide. This second edition of Flatfishes: Biology and Exploitation has been completely revised, updated and enlarged to respond to the ever-growing body of research. It provides:

• Overviews of systematics, distribution, life history strategies, reproduction, recruitment, ecology and behaviour
• Descriptions of the major fisheries and their management
• An assessment of the synergies between ecological and aquaculture research of flatfishes.

Carefully compiled and edited by four internationally-known scientists and with chapters written by many world leaders in the field, this excellent new edition of a very popular and successful book is essential reading for fish biologists, fisheries scientists, marine biologists, aquaculture personnel, ecologists, environmental scientists, and government workers in fisheries and fish and wildlife departments. Flatfishes: Biology and Exploitation, Second Edition, should be found in all libraries of research establishments and universities where life sciences, fish biology, fisheries, aquaculture, marine sciences, oceanography, ecology and environmental sciences are studied and taught.

Reviews of the First Edition

• A solid, up-to-date book that advanced students and research scientists with interests in fish biology will find interesting and useful. Aquaculture International
• A data-rich book that outlines much of what you might ever want to know about flatfishes. Fish & Fisheries
• Well presented with clear illustrations and a valuable source of information for those with a general interest in fish ecology or for the more specialist reader. You should make sure that your library has a copy. J Fish Biology
• An excellent and very practical overview of the whole, global flatfish scene. Anyone interested in flatfish at whichever stage of the economic food chain should invest in a copy immediately. Ausmarine
• Because of the high quality of each chapter, written by international experts, it is a valuable reference. Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries

List of contributors xv

Series editor's foreword xxi

Preface to the second edition xxv

Preface to the first edition xxvii

Acknowledgements xxix

1 Introduction 1
Robin N. Gibson

1.1 The fascination of flatfishes 1

1.2 A brief history of flatfish research and its contribution to fish biology and fisheries science 3

1.3 Scope and contents of the book 4

1.4 Nomenclature 9

Acknowledgements 10

References 10

2 Systematic diversity of the Pleuronectiformes 13
Thomas A. Munroe

2.1 Introduction 13

2.2 Systematic profile of the Pleuronectiformes 18

2.3 Intrarelationships of the Pleuronectiformes 19

2.4 Brief synopses of the suborders and families 22

2.5 Diversity of the Pleuronectiformes 26

2.5.1 Overview 26

2.5.2 Flatfish species diversity 27

2.5.3 Diversity of species within families 28

2.5.4 Standing diversity estimate for species of Pleuronectiformes 29

2.5.5 Relative diversity of the Pleuronectiformes 31

2.6 Patterns of species discovery among pleuronectiform families 32

2.6.1 History 32

2.6.2 Factors contributing to new species discovery among the Pleuronectiformes 35

2.7 Conclusions 42

Acknowledgements 44

References 44

3 Distributions and biogeography 52
Thomas A. Munroe

3.1 Introduction 52

3.2 Geographic distribution of pleurone…