Northern rock sole Lepidopsetta polyxystra is managed as part of the shallow-water flatfish complex, which also includes the rock sole (L. bilineata), the yellowfin sole (Pleuronectes asper), starry flounder (Platichthys stellatus), butter sole (Pleuronectes isolepis), English sole (Pleuronectes vetulus), Alaska plaice (Pleuronectes quadrituberculatus), and sand sole (Psettichthys melanostictus), as these species are caught in the shallow-water flatfish fishery (Turnock et al. 2009). 

Both Rock sole species are caught in the shallow-water flatfish fishery and are not targeted specifically, as they cooccur with several other species. These species were differentiated in survey data beginning in 1996, and were differentiated in the fishery observer data beginning in 1997. Data for more recent years have the species listed as northern (N), southern (S), or “undifferentiated” (U) rock sole as adult northern and southern rock sole are difficult to differentiate visually. There is considerable uncertainty about the fraction of annual rock sole catch that is northern or southern rock sole (A’mar and Palsson 2015).

The fishery in Gulf of Alaska was certified by the Marine Stewardship Council system in June 2010. Click here to link to the MSC fishery page and to learn more about the MSC fishery certification unit.