In the northwest Atlantic (H. p. platessoides) it ranges from Greenland and Labrador to Rhode Island, and in the northeast Atlantic (H. p. limandoides) it ranges from Murmansk to the English Channel, Ireland and Iceland,[2][3] rarely finding itself in the Baltic Sea.

[5] The species is considered by the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization to be overfished, with no signs of recovery.

[6] Canadian officials dispute this, claiming the population is under less than 20% risk of extinction in the next 80 years however, it remains under the moratorium established in 1993.

[9] In its European range, the species is generally common and not actively sought by fishers, but it is often part of the bycatch.

[3] American plaice may be an intermediate host for the nematode parasite Otostrongylus circumlitis, which is a lungworm of seals, primarily affecting animals less than 1 year of age.