Scientific Name: Limanda ferruginea

Description: Its body is oval and laterally compressed. It has a relatively small head with both eyes on the right side. Colour is reddish brown to olive green on the upper side with rusty red spots.

Distribution: Occurs from southern Labrador down to Chesapeake Bay . It lives offshore on sand or mud bottom at depths of 27-364m.

Diet: The Yellowtail flounder’s small mouth restricts its diet to polychaete worms, amphipods, small crustaceans and invertebrates.

Growth: A fast growing species, this fish grows to 43 cm by 8 years old. The females grow slightly faster than males.

Reproduction: Spawning occurs from the spring to summer. Large numbers of small eggs are deposited on or near the bottom, are fertilized and then float up to the surface where they drift. Hatching takes place five days after fertilization at 10-11’C.

Predation: Details of predation is lacking, but are probably eaten by larger fish like cod.

Relation to man: There is a direct fishery for yellowtail flounder on the Grand Bank and is also caught as by-catch when fishing American plaice.

 

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