A small fish which nearly caused a shooting war between Canada and Spain a few years ago. Canada tried to demonstrate its right to protect endangered fish species from overfishing even in international waters by boarding and seizing Spanish trawlers. This made Fisheries Minister Brian Tobin a bit of a national hero, especially in Newfoundland.

Tur"bot (?), n. [F.; -- probably so named from its shape, and from L. turbo a top, a whirl.] Zool. (a)

A large European flounder (Rhombus maximus) highly esteemed as a food fish. It often weighs from thirty to forty pounds. Its color on the upper side is brownish with small roundish tubercles scattered over the surface. The lower, or blind, side is white. Called also bannock fluke.

(b)

Any one of numerous species of flounders more or less related to the true turbots, as the American plaice, or summer flounder (see Flounder), the halibut, and the diamond flounder (Hypsopsetta guttulata) of California.

(c)

The filefish; -- so called in Bermuda.

(d)

The trigger fish.

Spotted turbot. See Windowpane.

 

© Webster 1913.

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