Rex Sole
Errex zachirus
(also known as Glyptocephalus zachirus)
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Photo contributed by:
Bill Barss
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
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Aquaculture Potential
Generally, there has been recent interest in culturing flatfish. The rex sole fishery is a "…major part of the flatfish trawl fishery from California northward to the Bering Sea" (Love 1996). However, this species does not make up a large component of the flatfish fishery in Oregon (especially compared to Dover and English sole). Additional constraints associated with developing this species for aquaculture include low fecundity and a long larval stage (one year). However, due to the unusual shape of this species it may be able to be sold for the ornamental market.
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In-depth Information Regarding this Species
| U.S. Range in the Pacific Ocean |
Bering Sea to Baja (Eschmeyer and Herald 1983) |
| Habitat |
Inshore in summer
Offshore in winter (Love 1996) |
| Substrate |
Mud or mud-boulder (Love 1996)
Sand or mud (Eschmeyer and Herald 1983) |
| Depth range (meters) |
18–640 (Eschmeyer and Herald 1983) |
| General Temperature Range (°C) |
7.2 (prefer) (Love 1996) |
| Average Maximum Overall Length (cm) |
59 (Love 1996, Eschmeyer and Herald 1983) |
| Male Length to Age Ratio (cm/age in years) |
30.5/12 (Love 1996) |
| Female Length to Age Ratio (cm/age in years) |
30.5/10 (Love 1996) |
| Overall Maximum Age (years) |
24+ (Love 1996, Eschmeyer and Herald 1983) |
| Overall Growth Rate |
Females grow faster and larger than males (Love 1996)
Slow (Eschmeyer and Herald 1983) |
| Male Age at Maturity (years) |
3 (50% mature)
5 (all mature) (Love 1996) |
| Female Age at Maturity (years) |
5 (50% mature)
9 (all mature) (Love 1996) |
| Male Length at Maturity (cm) |
16.5 (50% mature)
21.6 (all mature) (Love 1996) |
| Female Length at Maturity (cm) |
4.1 (50% mature)
30.5 (all mature) (Love 1996) |
| Fecundity |
3,900–238,000 (Love 1996) |
| Time of Year of Spawning |
January–July
Peak March–April in Oregon (Love 1996) |
| Days in Larval Stage |
365 (Love 1996) |
| Adult Food Preference |
Small individuals eat Crustaceans (Gammarid Amphipods)
Large individuals eat Worms, Gammarid Amphipods, Shrimp, Crab (Love 1996)
Small Rex sole (less than 150 mm) eat amphipods and other crustaceans
Large Rex sole (150–450 mm) eat polychaetes (Pearcy and Hancock 1978 in Stickney et al. 1995) |
| Commercial Fishery |
"…major part of the flatfish trawl fishery from California northward to the Bering Sea." (Love 1996)
Commercial fishery (Eschmeyer and Herald 1983) |
| Sold Fresh or Frozen |
Fresh and Frozen (Love 1996) |
| Style Species is Sold |
Filleted
Whole (Love 1996) |
| Shelf-life in Fresh State (days at 40°F) |
5 (Love 1996) |
| Shelf-life in Frozen State (months at 0°F) |
9–12 (Love 1996) |
Recent Wild Harvest Data for Oregon
Data from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
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Year
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Total Catch
(Pounds)
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Ex-vessel Value
( U.S. Dollars)
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1989
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623,183
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227,305
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1990
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500,134
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159,212
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1991
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948,308
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303,914
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1992
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730,812
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219,884
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1993
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603,366
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176,327
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1994
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483,734
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145,360
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1995
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470,253
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161,487
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1996
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665,632
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214,544
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1997
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682,082
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205,221
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1998
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641,078
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212,176
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Photograph courtesy of the
Alaska Fisheries Science Center, Resource Assessment and Conservation Engineering
To link to their webpage click here.
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Photograph courtesy of the
Alaska Fisheries Science Center, Resource Assessment and Conservation Engineering
To link to their webpage click here.
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