halibut, pacific. (Hippoglossus stenolepis) Schmidt, 1904; PLEURONECTIDAE FAMILY; also called northern halibut, right halibut, alabato Occurs in cold waters of the North Pacific from the Bering Sea south to about Santa Rosa Island, California, on the American side and to northern Japan (including the Okhotsk Sea) on the Asian side. The Pacific halibut is highly migratory.