flounder

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Winter flounder, Pseudopleuronectes americanus

Flowery flounder, Bothus mancus,
Bahía de la Chiva, Vieques Island, Puerto Rico

Flounder (alternative name Fluke) is an ocean-dwelling flatfish species that is found in coastal lagoons and estuaries of the Northern Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

Taxonomy

There are a number of geographical and taxonomical species to which flounder belong.

• Western Atlantic
  • Summer flounder - Paralichthys dentatus
  • Southern flounder - Paralichthys lethostigma
  • Winter flounder - Pseudopleuronectes americanus

• European waters
  • Platichthys flesus

• Off the coast of Japan
  • Japanese flounder - Paralichthys olivaceus

Eye migration

In its life cycle, an adult flounder has two eyes situated on one side of its head, where at hatching one eye is located on each side of its head. One eye migrates to the other side of the body as a process of metamorphosis as it grows from larval to juvenile stage when the flounder changes its habits and camouflages itself by lying on the bottom of the ocean floor as protection against predators;^[1] the side with eyes facing upwards. The side which the eyes migrate to is dependent on the species type.

Habitat

Flounder ambush their prey, feeding at soft muddy areas of the sea bottom, near bridge piles, docks and coral reefs and have been also found at the bottom of the Mariana trench, the deepest known location on the Earth's crust. Swiss scientist Jacques Piccard and US Navy Lt. Don Walsh reached a depth of 10,916 m (35,813 ft) and were surprised to discover sole or flounder about 30 cm long.

Their diet consists mainly of fish spawn, crustaceans, polychaetes and small fish.

Flounder grow to a length of typically 12.5 cm to 37.5 cm (5 to 15 in) and can sometimes grow to as large as 45 cm (18 in). Their width is about half of their length.

History

Hough's Neck in Quincy, Massachusetts was once considered the "Flounder capital of the world" due to the abundance of the species there. Pollution levels in Boston Harbor during the 1980s depleted the population, but recent signs indicate that the flounder is returning to the area.

Threats

A flounder blending into its environment

World stocks of large predatory fish and large ground fish such as sole and flounder were estimated in 2003 to be only about 10% of pre-industrial levels, largely due to overfishing. Most overfishing is due to the extensive activities of the fishing industry.^[2][3][4] Current estimates suggest that approximately 30 million flounder (excluding sole) are alive in the world today. Current research indicate that the flounder population could be as low as 15 million due to heavy overfishing and industrial pollution along the Gulf of Mexico surrounding the coast of Texas.

According to Seafood Watch, Atlantic flounder and sole are currently on the list of seafood that sustainability-minded consumers should avoid.^[5]

References

1. ^ Fairchild, E.A. and Howell, W.H. "Factors affecting the post-release survival of cultured juvenile Pseudopleuronectes americanus" (PDF). Journal of Fish Biology. 65 (Supplementary A): 69-87. http://cinemar.unh.edu/fisheries/stock_enhancement/05_jfb529.pdf.  July 17, 2004. Accessed 2009-06-08.
2. ^ Clover, Charles. 2004. The End of the Line: How overfishing is changing the world and what we eat. Ebury Press, London. ISBN
3. ^ Myers, Ransom A. and Worm, Boris. "Rapid worldwide depletion of predatory fish communities." Nature 423, 280–283 (15 May 2003).
4. ^ Dalton, Rex. 2006. "Save the big fish: Targeting of larger fish makes populations prone to collapse."
5. ^ "Monterey Bay Aquarium: Seafood Watch Program - All Seafood List". Monterey Bay Aquarium. http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/SeafoodWatch/web/sfw_factsheet.aspx?gid=39. Retrieved 2008-04-17. 

External links

• Common names containing "flounder" at FishBase
• Video of a Fresh Water Flounder

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