Solea nasuta

Solea nasuta Nordmann, 1840

Solea nasuta image

Synonyms:

Common names: Engl: Snouted sole; Bulg: Morsky ezik; Georg: Zghvis ena; Rom: Limba de mare; Russ: Morskoy yazyk; Turk: Ege dil baligi; Ukr: Mors'ky yazyk

Order: PLEURONECTIFORMES

Family: SOLEIDAE

Taxonomic description: Oval flatfish with eyes on the right side of the head. Small, slightly curved, mouth.Varies in color due to its mimetic ability, but is usually grey-brown or reddish. Measured up to 50 centimetres.

Solea nasuta areal IUCN Status:
    World level:
    Black Sea Regional level: VU
    Subregion level: VU

Distribution:

Habitats type, Critical habitats, Limiting factors: Benthonic species, sandy bottoms. Sandy bottoms, estuaries, continental shelves. Deep trawling, shell dredging, degradation of the coastal ecosystem and sand dredging are the main reasons for its decline. Overfishing is also one of the reason for a decrease in stocks.

Biology: Carnivore, living in sandy bottoms to 150 meters. Reproduction is in spring, sexual maturity starts at 4 years, feeds on molluscs, crustaceans and polychaetes. This fish's eggs are pelagic. Color of ventral part is white, dorsal part is grey. This species has penetrated some estuaries in the Black Sea.

Population trends: There is no available information, but overfishing and illegal fshing is possibly depleting the stock.

Threats: Overfishing, illegal fishing, sand dredging, coastal set nets, pollution.

Conservation measures taken: No particular measure has been taken.

Conservation measures proposed: Mitigating the coastal fisheries, pollution and banning the sand dredging.

References:

Aksiray, F. 1987. Turkish Marine Fishes Identification Book. Puplication of the University of Istanbul. No. 3490. The Second Edition. 811pp. Istanbul, Turkey .

Compiled by: B.Öztürk, A.Komakhidze