Winter Flounder

By: Chloe King

General Information

• Common Name: Winter Flounder • Scientific Name: Pseudopleuronectes

americanus• Kingdom: Animalia• Phylum: Chordata• Class: Actinopterygii

Size

• Weight: 8 pounds

• Length: 25 inches

• Females grow faster than males

Habitat/Distribution

• Native to costal waters of the western north Atlantic coast

• United States and Canada • Summers spent off shore in

deeper waters • Winters spent in shallow

coastal estuaries, rivers, and bays

Feeding Habits

• Larva and juveniles feed on invertebrates

• Adults feed on shrimp, clams, polychaete worms, fish fry, and bits of seaweed

• Feed during daylight hours

Breeding Habits

• Sexual maturity at 3 years of age• Small females produce 500,000 eggs and large

females produce 1,500,00 eggs per year. • Reproduction occurs in estuaries from January

to May • Fish return for many years to the same site to

spawn.

Population

• Not an exact number • Population has been decreasing in past years• Recovery projects to help the population grow

Statistics

• Population size has decreased by 91% in the past 17 years

• Their life span is about 15 years

Use By Humans

• Eating

• Fishing

Interesting Information

• Have eyes on the right side of their bodies

• They don’t have teeth

Quiz

1. What two countries are they found in?2. What do humans use them for?3. Has the population been increasing or

decreasing?4. What do they eat?5. What side of the body is the fish’s eyes on?