The megrim, megrim sole, whiff, or Cornish sole (''Lepidorhombus whiffiagonis'') is a species of left-eyed

flatfish A flatfish is a member of the Ray-finned fish, ray-finned demersal fish Order (biology), suborder Pleuronectoidei, also called the Heterosomata. In many species, both eyes lie on one side of the head, one or the other migrating through or around ...

in the family

Scophthalmidae The Scophthalmidae are a family (biology), family of flatfish found in the North Atlantic Ocean, Baltic Sea, Mediterranean Sea, and Black Sea. Fish of this family are known commonly as turbots, though this name can refer specifically to ''Scophth ...

. It is found in the northeast Atlantic and

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...

between below sea level. It is caught commercially by some countries.

Description

It can grow up to in length. It is left-eyed, has a slightly larger head than usual in flatfish, and with a narrower body than usual. The dorsal and ventral fins are relatively short and start far back on the body. The colouration is usually light brown with dark spots across the body and dark grey fins. It lacks the highly distinct dark spots found on the fins in its close relative, the four-spot megrim (''L. boscii'').

Habitat

The megrim is usually found over a sandy or muddy sea floor. They are predators and eat small fish and squid and also consume crustaceans. In turn megrim are themselves prey for larger species such as sharks, seals and large cod. Megrim spawn in deep waters off

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and the west of Ireland, while there is a separate spawning population in the Mediterranean.

Range

This species is found throughout European waters and the Northeast Atlantic including the

Sea of the Hebrides The Sea of the Hebrides (, ) is a small and partly sheltered section of the North Atlantic Ocean, indirectly off the southern part of the north-west coast of Scotland. To the east are the mainland of Scotland and the northern Inner Hebrides (i ...

. Megrim are also found off the north coast of Africa and in parts of the Mediterranean.

Commercial value

Megrim is commercially valuable and is caught by a number of nations around Europe, usually by bottom

trawling Trawling is an industrial method of fishing that involves pulling a fishing net through the water behind one or more boats. The net used for trawling is called a trawl. This principle requires netting bags which are towed through water to catch di ...

, and is directly targeted in some fisheries, whereas in others it is retained as a valuable bycatch. France and Spain are the largest markets for megrim, and before

Brexit Brexit (, a portmanteau of "Britain" and "Exit") was the Withdrawal from the European Union, withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU). Brexit officially took place at 23:00 GMT on 31 January 2020 (00:00 1 February ...

most of the megrim caught in British water was exported to these nations. Megrim can be cooked in a number of different ways with grilling, baking, frying and poaching all effective ways of preparing this species. It has been described as being similar to sole or plaice in terms of preparation, but not being comparable in terms of flavour or texture. For many years there was a drive in Britain to get people to eat more megrim as a way of taking pressure off overexploited fish such as cod and haddock, Following the export difficulties after

, there is a renewed drive to find UK customers, which includes using the alternative name of Cornish sole to make it more appealing to domestic consumers.

Description

Habitat

Range

Commercial value

References

Further reading