Dave was poring over information on halibut after the trip and brought it to my attention that California Halibut are not "true" halibut. I had to double check, and it appears true.
These fish are distinguished by their massive size (often exceeding 400 pounds), a distinct diamond-shaped body (rather than round), and forked or concave tails. They are almost exclusively "right-eyed," meaning that as they mature, their eyes migrate to the right side of their head.
Which leaves only the Atlantic Halibut and Pacific Halibut, in their own genus of Hippoglossus.
Every now and then it bugged me that people would say they target flounder in SoCal and now I see that I was foolish to feel at odds with their naming of things. Foolish!
Does a rose by any other name smell as sweet? Does a butt by any other name smell as stinky?