Megrim

This article is about the fish, For the neurological condition, see Migraine.

Megrim
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Pleuronectiformes
Family:	Scophthalmidae
Genus:	Lepidorhombus
Species:	Lepidorhombus whiffiagonis (Walbaum, 1792)

The megrim or whiff (Lepidorhombus whiffiagonis) (Walbaum, 1792) is a species of left-eyed Flatfish found in European seas between 100 and 700 metres below sea level. It is caught commercially in some countries.

Description

It can grow up to 60 cm 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 anal 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.

Habits

The megrim prefers a sandy or muddy sea floor. They are predators and eat small fish and squid and will also consume crustaceans. In tern megrim are themselves prey for larger species such as sharks, seals and large cod. Megrim spawn in deep waters off Iceland and the West of Ireland, while there is a separate spawning population in and the Mediterranean sea.^[1]

Range

This species is found throughout European waters are is present in the Northeast Atlantic including the Sea of the Hebrides,.^[2] Megrim are also found off the north coast of Africa and in parts of the Mediterranean.^[1]

Commercial Value

Megrim are commercially valuable and are caught by a number of nations around Europe. Megrim are caught by bottom trawling. They are directly targeted in some fisheries, whereas in others they are retained as a valuable bycatch.^[3] France and Spain are the largest consumers of this species with most of the megrim caught in British water being exported to these nations. However, there has been a drive in Britain to get people to eat more megrim as a way of taking pressure off over exploited fish such as cod and haddock.^[4] Megrim can be cooked in a number of different ways with grilling, baking, frying and poaching all effective ways of preparing this species. In the UK megrim are sometimes given an alternative name such as megrim sole and Cornish sole as a way of making this species more appealing to consumers.^[1]

Further reading

• International Council for the Exploration of the Sea
• FishBase: Lepidorhombus whiffiagonis
• C.Michael Hogan, (2011) Sea of the Hebrides. Eds. P. Saundry & C.J.Cleveland. Encyclopedia of Earth. National Council for Science and the Environment. Washington DC.

Line notes