PLAICE (Pleuronectes platessa)  , a species of flat-fish, common on the coasts of northern Europe from Iceland to the Bay of Biscay . It is readily recognized by the yellow or orange-coloured spots which are placed in a row along the dorsal and anal fins, and scattered over the body . The eyes are on the right side, and the teeth in the jaws compressed and truncate . The scales are minute and smooth . Plaice, like other flat-fishes, prefer a sandy flat bottom to a rocky ground, and occur in suitable localities in great abundance; they spawn early in spring, and are in finest condition in the month of May . Individuals of seven or eight pounds weight are considered fish of large size, but specimens of double that weight have been caught . See the monograph by F . J . Cole and J . Johnstone (Liverpool, 1901) ; and W . Garstang's " Reports on the Natural History of the Plaice " (Rap ports et proces-verbaux du conseil international pour l'exploration de la mer, 1905 seq.) .