[5] The Greenland halibut is a flatfish, and the left eye has migrated during the fish's development so that it is on the right side of the head.

Its morphology with the left eye positioned on the dorsal ridge of the forehead gives it an appearance of a cyclops when looking straight at it.

[8] Greenland halibut are opportunistic predators and consume a variety of prey from demersal and pelagic habitats.

[9] As they grow, their diet shifts and they begin to feed upon shrimps and fish, and individuals greater than 60 cm are primarily piscivorous.

The reason for this is due to the large eggs (2.5-3.0 mm in diameter) and in the cold water which they inhabit, it takes more than one year for oocytes to complete vitellogenesis.

Fishing is the most important industry in Greenland, and Greenland halibut is the second-most important species (after northern prawn), meaning that any changes can have a significant effect on the country's overall economy,[15] as well as the local economy as most inshore fisheries involve small-scale, small-boat fishers.

[17] Other spawning grounds are in deep, near-shore regions where the ecosystem relies on nutrients from meltwater from glaciers, but these are gradually disappearing.

[24] Among well-monitored populations, the ones in the East Greenland–Iceland region (i.e., Greenland Sea, Denmark Strait and nearby) experienced the greatest decline since the 1970s.

[27][28][29] A smaller fishery for the species also exists in the Gulf of Alaska (where relatively uncommon) and the Bering Sea region (where more common), and these populations are not overfished.

[30] The oil-rich, soft meat is regarded as good, but inferior to that of the Atlantic halibut and European turbot.

[31] Traditionally, it was salted, but today it is mostly smoked or frozen, and the primary market is in East Asia, where it is regarded as a delicacy.

[3][32] However, because of the thick skin, high fat content, and low meat yield, as much as one-third of the fish can be lost in production.