Wikipedia

Olive flounder

(Redirected from Paralichthys olivaceus)

The olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus), bastard halibut, Japanese flounder or Korean halibut is a temperate marine species of large-tooth flounder native to the North-western Pacific Ocean. It is a high valued fin-fish, known to be excellent for aquaculture due to a rapid growth rate and popularity in Japan and Korea.[1]

Olive flounder
In a supermarket display tank
Drawing by Kawahara Keiga
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Carangiformes
Suborder: Pleuronectoidei
Family: Paralichthyidae
Genus: Paralichthys
Species:
P. olivaceus
Binomial name
Paralichthys olivaceus
(Temminck & Schlegel, 1846)
Synonyms

Hippoglossus olivaceus Temminck & Schlegel, 1846

Names

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In Japanese, olive flounder is called hirame (ヒラメ). In Korean, it is called gwangeo (광어; 廣魚; lit. 'flatfish'). In Chinese, it is called yaping (牙鮃) or biankouyu (扁口魚).

In English, in addition to "olive flounder", it is also known as "bastard flounder",[2] "Japanese flounder",[3] or "Korean flatfish".[4]

Description

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It reaches a length of 103 cm (41 in) and a weight of 9.1 kg (20 lb).[5] In 2017 its genome and transcriptome was sequenced as a model to study flatfish asymmetry.[6]

Biology

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Habitat and diet

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The olive flounder is often found in soft and muddy offshore, coastal areas where the water level goes down to 100 m in depth. The temperature of water in these areas range from 21–24 °C or 69–75 °F.[1]

Olive flounder typically eat fish spawn, crustaceans, polychaetes, and small fish.[7]

Life cycle

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Olive flounder spawn anytime from January through August in shallow water, roughly about 70 cm in depth. The egg and larvae remain that way for about 24–50 days after hatching. Once they begin their metamorphosis process, they move towards more sandy areas and feed on shrimp. After achieving metamorphosis, the flounder move offshore and begin feeding on bigger fish in order to grow to their adult size.[1]

Young olive flounder hatch with a bilaterally symmetrical body plan typical of most fish. Over 24 to 50 days, they undergo metamorphosis: the body flattens, one eye migrates to the opposite side of the head, and the fish settles onto its side, living with both eyes facing upward.[1]

Parasites

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Kudoa septempunctata in olive flounder muscles

The myxozoan Kudoa septempunctata has been described in 2010 from olive flounder from Korea.[8] This microscopic parasite infects the trunk muscles of the olive flounder where it causes myoliquefaction. Ingestion of raw fish containing K. septempunctata spores has been reported as a cause of food poisoning (gastroenteritis) in Japan since 2003.[9][10]

Non-human laboratory studies performed in 2015 and 2016 on adult[11] and suckling mice[12] showed that K. septempunctata spores were excreted in faeces and did not affect the gastrointestinal tract. However, a 2023 study using improved animal models (suckling mice maintained at 31–35°C and house musk shrews) demonstrated that K. septempunctata spores do cause diarrhea and emesis by disrupting intestinal tight junctions and inducing serotonin secretion, reconciling the earlier discrepancies.[13]

Bacteria

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Olive flounder are susceptible to bacterial infections. Notable bacterial pathogens include Streptococcus parauberis[14] and Vibrio ichthyoenteri.[15]

Relation to humans

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Aquaculture

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Capture (blue) and aquaculture (green) production of Bastard halibut (Paralichthys olivaceus) in thousand tonnes from 1950 to 2022, as reported by the FAO[16]

The olive flounder is the most common flatfish species raised in aquaculture in Korea.[17] In 2022, 46,000 tons of oliver flounder was produced in South Korea, representing 50.5% of the total aquaculture production within the country.[18] Although the aquaculture for the olive flounder started from the late 1980s, its commercial production didn't begin on a major scale until the 1990s in Korea.

Olive flounder are also farmed in Japan and China as well. It is the most highly prized of the Japanese flounders. [citation needed]

As food

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Olive flounder is widely eaten as food in East Asia, often raw. Hoe (횟감) is the Korean preparation of raw olive flounder (광어), typically sliced thinly and served with gochujang (red chili paste), sesame oil, and vinegar-based sauces.[19] In Japan, raw olive flounder (ヒラメ, hirame) is served as sushi or sashimi, often with ponzu (citrus-soy sauce) and considered a prized white fish for its firm, clean texture.[20] In China, the olive flounder is a popular culinary fish, commonly prepared steamed with ginger and scallions, braised with soybean paste, or cooked as a collagen-rich fish head soup.[21][22]

Raw consumption of olive flounder carries a risk of Kudoa septempunctata poisoning, causing acute vomiting and diarrhea within hours.[10]

Japan–Korea trade and food safety dispute

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A 2019 analysis in the Journal of Korea Trade suggested that Japan's enhanced inspections of farmed Korean flounder for K. septempunctata were motivated by retaliation in a separate WTO dispute over radionuclides rather than solely by food safety concerns.[23] However scientific evidence has indicated the pathogenicity of the parasite and control measures like PCR testing have reduced cases, infections persist and clinicians should suspect Kudoa in raw-fish-related food poisoning.[24][25] As of 2025, Korea continues to export olive flounder to Japan under enhanced inspection protocols, while domestic consumption in Korea (as hoe) remains high despite ongoing food safety awareness campaigns.[17][23]

Appearances in media

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The olive flounder appears in Animal Crossing: New Horizons as one of the various fish the player is able to catch using a fishing rod.[26]

References

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  1. 1 2 3 4 Bai, Sungchul C.; Lee, Seunghyung (2010-04-19). "Culture of Olive Flounder: Korean Perspective". In Daniels, H. V.; Watanabe, W. O. (eds.). Practical Flatfish Culture and Stock Enhancement. Wiley-Blackwell. pp. 156–168. doi:10.1002/9780813810997.ch9. ISBN 978-0-8138-1099-7.
  2. ↑ "FAO Fisheries & Aquaculture". www.fao.org. Retrieved 2026-05-23.
  3. ↑ Han, Ping; Qiao, Yingjie; He, Jiayi; Wang, Xubo (November 2023). "Stress responses to warming in Japanese flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) from different environmental scenarios". Science of the Total Environment. 897 165341. Bibcode:2023ScTEn.89765341H. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165341. PMID 37414161.
  4. ↑ Hong, Euiseo; Kim, Hyun-Chul; Lee, Jeong-Ho; Jeong, Woonyoung; Dinh, Phuong Thanh N.; Ekanayake, Waruni; Park, Jong-Won; Jeong, Minhwan; Lee, Dain; Kim, Julan; Kim, Yoonsik; Lee, Seung Hwan; Chung, Yoonji (2025-04-16). "Genetic diversity of Olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) and the impact of selective breeding on Korean populations". PLOS ONE. 20 (4) e0318672. Bibcode:2025PLoSO..2018672H. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0318672. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 12002499. PMID 40238790.
  5. ↑ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Paralichthys olivaceus". FishBase. May 2014 version.
  6. ↑ Shao, Changwei; Bao, Baolong; Xie, Zhiyuan; Chen, Xinye; Li, Bo; Jia, Xiaodong; Yao, Qiulin; Ortí, Guillermo; Li, Wenhui (January 2017). "The genome and transcriptome of Japanese flounder provide insights into flatfish asymmetry". Nature Genetics. 49 (1): 119–124. doi:10.1038/ng.3732. hdl:10400.1/11355. ISSN 1061-4036. PMID 27918537.
  7. ↑ Shuozeng, Dou (1995-11-01). "Food utilization of adult flatfishes co-occurring in the Bohai Sea of China". Netherlands Journal of Sea Research. 34 (1): 183–193. Bibcode:1995NJSR...34..183S. doi:10.1016/0077-7579(95)90026-8. ISSN 0077-7579.
  8. ↑ Matsukane, Yuuki; Sato, Hiroshi; Tanaka, Shuhei; Kamata, Yoichi; Sugita-Konishi, Yoshiko (2010). "Kudoa septempunctata n. sp. (Myxosporea: Multivalvulida) from an aquacultured olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) imported from Korea". Parasitology Research. 107 (4): 865–872. doi:10.1007/s00436-010-1941-8. ISSN 0932-0113. PMID 20549238.
  9. ↑ Kawai, T.; Sekizuka, T.; Yahata, Y.; Kuroda, M.; Kumeda, Y.; Iijima, Y.; Kamata, Y.; Sugita-Konishi, Y.; Ohnishi, T. (2012). "Identification of Kudoa septempunctata as the Causative Agent of Novel Food Poisoning Outbreaks in Japan by Consumption of Paralichthys olivaceus in Raw Fish". Clinical Infectious Diseases. 54 (8): 1046–1052. doi:10.1093/cid/cir1040. ISSN 1058-4838. PMID 22281845.
  10. 1 2 Iwashita, Yoshiaki; Kamijo, Yoshito; Nakahashi, Susumu; Shindo, Akihiro; Yokoyama, Kazuto; Yamamoto, Akitaka; Omori, Yukinari; Ishikura, Ken; Fujioka, Masaki; Hatada, Tsuyoshi; Takeda, Taichi; Maruyama, Kazuo; Imai, Hiroshi (2013). "Food Poisoning Associated with Kudoa Septempunctata". The Journal of Emergency Medicine. 44 (5): 943–945. doi:10.1016/j.jemermed.2012.11.026. ISSN 0736-4679. PMID 23357380.
  11. ↑ Ahn, Meejung; Woo, Hochoon; Kang, Bongjo; Jang, Yeounghwan; Shin, Taekyun (2015). "Effect of oral administration of Kudoa septempunctata genotype ST3 in adult BALB/c mice". Parasite. 22: 35. doi:10.1051/parasite/2015035. ISSN 1776-1042. PMC 4668110. PMID 26630307. Open access icon
  12. ↑ Jang, Yeounghwan; Ahn, Meejung; Bang, Hyojin; Kang, Bongjo (2016). "Effects of Kudoa septempunctata genotype ST3 isolate from Korea on ddY suckling mice". Parasite. 23: 18. doi:10.1051/parasite/2016020. ISSN 1776-1042. PMC 4828580. PMID 27067108. Open access icon
  13. ↑ Hong, Sung-Hee; Kwon, Ji-Young; Lee, Soon-Ok; Lee, Hee-Il; Hong, Sung-Jong; Ju, Jung-Won (2023-05-20). "Kudoa septempunctata Spores Cause Acute Gastroenteric Symptoms in Mouse and Musk Shrew Models as Evidenced In Vitro in Human Colon Cells". Pathogens. 12 (5): 739. doi:10.3390/pathogens12050739. ISSN 2076-0817. PMC 10220943. PMID 37242409.
  14. ↑ Baeck, Gun Wook; Kim, Ji Hyung; Gomez, Dennis Kaw; Park, Se Chang (2006). "Isolation and characterization of Streptococcus sp. from diseased flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) in Jeju Island". Journal of Veterinary Science. 7 (1): 53–58. doi:10.4142/jvs.2006.7.1.53. ISSN 1229-845X. PMC 3242086. PMID 16434850.
  15. ↑ ISHIMARU, KATSUYA; AKAGAWA-MATSUSHITA, MASAYO; MUROGA, KIYOKUNI (1996). "Vibrio ichthyoenteri sp. nov., a Pathogen of Japanese Flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) Larvae". International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. 46 (1): 155–159. doi:10.1099/00207713-46-1-155. ISSN 1466-5034.
  16. ↑ "Fisheries and Aquaculture - Global Production". Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Retrieved 2024-05-06.
  17. 1 2 Kim, Nam-Lee; Kim, Kang-Woong; Kim, Do-Hoon (2025-10-17). "Productive Efficiency Analysis of Olive Flounder Aquaculture in South Korea Using a Stochastic Frontier Approach for Sustainable Aquaculture". Sustainability. 17 (20): 9228. Bibcode:2025Sust...17.9228K. doi:10.3390/su17209228. ISSN 2071-1050.
  18. ↑ "Survey on Fishery Production of Fisheries Processing Industry". KOSIS. 2023.
  19. ↑ Lee, Sung Uk (2017). "Analysis of Kudoa septempunctata as a cause of foodborne illness and its associated differential diagnosis". Epidemiology and Health. 39 e2017014. doi:10.4178/epih.e2017014. ISSN 2092-7193. PMC 5543295. PMID 28395399.
  20. ↑ Lee, Sung Uk (2017). "Analysis of Kudoa septempunctata as a cause of foodborne illness and its associated differential diagnosis". Epidemiology and Health. 39 e2017014. doi:10.4178/epih.e2017014. ISSN 2092-7193. PMC 5543295. PMID 28395399.
  21. ↑ Fan, Zhaofei; You, Feng; Wang, Lijuan; Weng, Shenda; Wu, Zhihao; Hu, Jinwei; Zou, Yuxia; Tan, Xungang; Zhang, Peijun (2014). "Gonadal transcriptome analysis of male and female olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus)". BioMed Research International. 2014 291067. doi:10.1155/2014/291067. ISSN 2314-6141. PMC 4121151. PMID 25121093.
  22. ↑ Xu, Yongxia; Yin, Yiming; Zhao, Honglei; Li, Qiuying; Yi, Shumin; Li, Xuepeng; Li, Jianrong (2020). "Effects of cinnamaldehyde combined with ultrahigh pressure treatment on the flavor of refrigerated Paralichthys olivaceus fillets". RSC Advances. 10 (21): 12573–12581. Bibcode:2020RSCAd..1012573X. doi:10.1039/D0RA01020K. ISSN 2046-2069. PMC 9051048. PMID 35497606.
  23. 1 2 Lim, Byeongho; Hong, Seokgu; Yoo, Jinhee (31 December 2019). "Review of potential import restrictions by Japan on Korean fishery products - A focus on radionuclides dispute between Korea and Japan". doi:10.22659/KTRA.2019.44.6.119. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  24. ↑ Hadano, Yoshiro; Mori, Hirotake; Tanaka, Yuichiro; Mahittikorn, Aongart; Ohno, Satoshi (2026-02-09). "Epidemiology of Kudoa septempunctata food poisoning in Japan from 2013 to 2023". Scientific Reports. 16 (1): 7986. Bibcode:2026NatSR..16.7986H. doi:10.1038/s41598-026-38632-2. ISSN 2045-2322. PMC 12957298. PMID 41663522.
  25. ↑ Lee, Sung Uk (2017-03-31). "Analysis of Kudoa septempunctata as a cause of foodborne illness and its associated differential diagnosis". Epidemiology and Health. 39 e2017014. doi:10.4178/epih.e2017014. ISSN 2092-7193. PMC 5543295. PMID 28395399.
  26. ↑ "Animal Crossing: New Horizons Fish Guide - How To Catch, Prices, Shadow Sizes, And More". GameSpot. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
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