Species

Atlantic halibut

The largest flatfish: a right-eyed predator of the North Atlantic that visiting anglers in Norway may only target north of 62° N and outside the closed season.

Hippoglossus hippoglossus

Photo: Vsevolod Rudyi, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0, adjusted to 3:2

Spawning: December to April at 300 to 700 m (FishBase); North Sea February to May (Wikipedia)
Typical method: Drift fishing from a boat with a large soft lure
Top bait: Large soft lure

Plan a day fishing for Atlantic halibut

How to recognise it

Both eyes on the right side of the body (right-eyed flatfish)
Mottled upper side, greyish-white underside
Triangular, slightly forked tail fin

Easily confused with: The Greenland halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides) only shares the name and is a different species; "Alaska halibut" is a trade name for Atheresthes stomias. Its closest relative is the Pacific halibut (German Wikipedia).

How to catch it

Methods: Drift fishing from a boat with a large soft lure, Bottom fishing with deadbait, Pirk fishing (jigging with a metal jig)

Baits: Large soft lure, Whole deadbait fish, Pirk, Large fish strip

In Norway only north of 62° N, and there from 21 April to 19 December; south of 62° N fishing for halibut is banned all year (Høstingsforskriften § 39, checked 20.10.2026).

Habitat and food

North Atlantic and the adjacent Arctic between 79° and 36° N (FishBase). Lives on the bottom down to 1,500 m, sometimes also in open water (German Wikipedia); FishBase gives 50 to 2,000 m.

Mainly other fish such as cod, haddock, sand eels, herring and capelin, plus cephalopods and large crustaceans (FishBase); Wikipedia lists crustaceans, fish and squid.

Size and age

Up to 300 cm, 400 kg and 50 years; females usually grow larger and older than males and mature at 10 to 14 years (German Wikipedia). FishBase: females max. 300 cm, heaviest published weight 320.0 kg, maximum age 50 years. The sources differ on weight.

Fishing tips and destinations

Protection and rules

Conservation status: IUCN: Near Threatened (2021) due to overfishing (Wikipedia, FishBase); late maturity makes stocks vulnerable. Norway (Høstingsforskriften §§ 39, 47, 51 and the Directorate of Fisheries, checked 20.10.2026): minimum size 84 cm and 7.2 kg, banned all year south of 62° N, north of it from 20 December to 20 April; every halibut over 2 m must go straight back into the sea, alive or dead.

We found no minimum size or closed season for this species in any state fisheries regulation. Local water rules may still apply.

Check the rules

In Germany, closed seasons and minimum sizes are set by each state and can be stricter for single waters. All German rules by state, with the legal source. Outside Germany, the local rules apply: licence and agency by country.

In the kitchen

Regarded as a food fish (German Wikipedia); FishBase: sold fresh, dried, salted, smoked or frozen and cooked in many ways.

Sources (5)

Last checked 2026-10-20. Found a mistake? Write to [email protected].

Know more?

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