ATLANTIC HALIBUT
Hippoglossus hippoglossus

7 June 2006
The largest* Atlantic Halibut, Hippoglossus hippoglossus, ever recorded was caught and landed by professional net fisherman Rolf Larsen (62 years old), at Stamsund, Lofoten, Norway (within the Arctic Circle but with seas warmed by the Gulf Stream). This massive fish weighed 282 kg and would have probably weighed 290 kg when first caught. The difference was because of the loss of blood after capture. Its total length was 262 cm. The fish was sold for display.

Report by Kent Andersson
Fiske-Kent / American Fisheries Society
Nettavision News Report (with a photograph)

(* My current information has the previous largest as 266 kg and 365 cm long. This length appears to be wrong.)

BMLSS Halibut
Halibut (Wikipedia)
 
 

  • c. 11 August 1998
  • A massive 2 metre long Halibut, Hippoglossus hippoglossus, was caught by fishermen and brought into Aberdeen. It weighed 135 kg (298 lb). Although in the past Halibut up to 2.5 metres long were reported, these fish no longer get the opportunity to attain this size. They are caught before they grow to their maximum size.
  • Report from Ruth Hughes, Westminster Mail & Times.
  • The largest fish caught on rod and line from a boat in British seas weighed 106 kg (234 lb) and was caught by C. Booth off Dunnet Head, north Scotland, in 1979.
  • In 1957 a fish of about 227 kg (500 lb) was landed by commercial fishermen at Grimsby.

    • The World Angling Record for Halibut is from Norwegian seas. The size is not known at present but it is in excess of the previous USA record of 115.8 kg (255 lb). From the northern Norwegian commercial fisheries, Halibut have been reported up to a length of almost 4 metres and weights in excess of 300 kg.

    A 101 kg (224 lb) Halibut was caught commercially off Iceland and brought into Grimsby and bought by Elite Foods at Newhaven, Sussex. This is from the Evening Argus (4 July 2001)  which has the world record weight at 354 kg (780 lb). I do not have a source for this record.

    Information of largest fish from U.S.A. was provided by Frank E Moen with Swedish angling records information.
     

    The largest H. hippoglossus caught on rod and line from a boat in Norway weighed 161.2 kg and was caught at Valevågsbråtet the 20th of October 1997. I don't know the commercial record, but the biggest Hippoglossus hippoglossus caught on Iceland (I think the biggest ever caught) was 3.65 m and weighed 266 kg. Sorry but I don’t have the year and date, but I don’t think it was caught on rod and line!!!
    Try this site: http://home.c2i.net/cappleby/rekorder.html It have all the official Norwegian records with rod and line. The site is in Norwegian but the headings translated are:
    Norwegian name - Scientific name - Norwegian record in kg - Place and date - World record in kg - Place and date

    Information of largest fish from Norway and Iceland was provided by Pål Enger.

    Cheers
    Pål Enger


    My father caught a 195 kg (428 lb) Halibut off the south-west coast of Nova Scotia, Canada, in the late 1960's. I have also caught a couple over 136 kg (300 lb), in the deep water in the middle of the bay of Fundy (Nova Scotia).  These fish were caught by otter trawling.

    Randy W. Theriault   EMail: haliday@glinx.com


    A 39.25 stone (550 lb) Halibut caught by Arthur D. Campbell (d. 2006)  at the East Horns Iceland on 18th May 1963.
    Fish landed in Aberdeen, Scotland by the Ben Cairn trawler.
    Sold to Summers Fish Curers for 19 shillings per stone (7.7d or 3p per lb)
    A record fish to date (?)
    The head was sent to London where it was calculated that the fish was about 40 years of age.

    Report by Vic Green

    I was looking at your records for Halibut and noted the following:

    € In 1957 a fish of about 227 kg (500 lb) was landed by commercial fishermen at Grimsby.

    This rings a bell, loudly.  The fishing boat was the "Royal Lincs"  named after the Royal Lincolnshire Regiment. Grimsby was her home port. As a student, in September of 1957, I had taken a month-long trip on the "Royal Lincs" off to the north of Norway and into the Barents Sea. As far as I recall the fish was caught off Northern Norway, the following trip likely in October. It made the national newspapers.  The reported weight I remember well, was 36½ stone. which translates to 511 lb or  232 kg.  That would be gutted weight, although the fish had the head on when it was weighed.

    Reason for my web search was that I am currently doing a small article on halibut culture, which is likely to become important here in Nova Scotia.

    Dave Scarratt
    RR 3 Bridgetown, NS
    Canada.  B0S 1C0

    +1 902 665 4815


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