RV Platessa tagged plaice were released off the Cumberland coast, using the RV "Platessa" during 1949 and 1950. In August 1951 echo-sounder traces were obtained over a wide area off Whitby by the RV 'Platessa', using a Marconi sounder. They were found to occur at a depth corresponding to that of a sharp thermocline, and small whiting about 3 in. in length, large Medusae, herring and sandeel larvæ were caught with a pelagic trawl at the depth of the trace. This work was reported in a ‘letter’ to the journal Nature in 1952. In 1950 the RV "Platessa" was involved in comparative
Plate fish Plate fish The plate fish ("Bothus lunatus") is a flounder in the genus "Bothus", found in the warmer parts of the Atlantic including the Caribbean. Its typical habitat is sandy plains near coral reefs and it is able to change its colouring to make it well-camouflaged in this environment. It is sometimes known as the peacock flounder, a name also given to the closely related "Bothus mancus" from the Indo-Pacific. "Bothus lunatus" has a laterally flattened body and orientates itself so that its right side is underneath and its left side is uppermost. Both eyes are on this upper surface