Gulf flounder 



Paralichthys albigutta 

 Adult 



5 cm 



(from Fischer 1978) 



Common Name: gulf flounder 



Scientific Name: Paralichthys albigutta 



Other Common Names: sand flounder, flounder, fluke, 



cardeau trois yeux (French), and lenguado tresojos 



(Spanish) (Ginsburg 1 952, Fischer 1 978, NOAA 1 985, 



Gilbert 1986). 



Classification (Robins et al. 1991) 



Phylum: Chordata 



Class: Osteichthyes 



Order: Pleuronectiformes 



Family: Bothidae 



Value 



Commercial : In 1992, U.S. commercial fishery land- 

 ings for flounders were fifth in quantity and eighth in 

 value (O'Bannon 1994). Flounder landings in the 

 Atlantic and Gulf for the group that includes this spe- 

 cies totaled 7,098 mt and was valued at nearly 23 

 million dollars. The Gulf flounder contributes a varying 

 amount to this commercial catch recorded as "fluke", 

 depending on location. This is an important commer- 

 cial species in Florida, but much less so in the other 

 Gulf coastal states (Swingle 1 971 , Fischer 1 978, Benson 

 1 982, NOAA 1 985, Van Voorhees et al. 1 992). In 1 992, 

 approximately 77.6 mt of flounders were landed in 

 Florida with a value of over $175,000 (Newlin 1993). 

 Most fish are taken by otter trawls, fyke nets, weirs, fish 

 traps, pound nets, gill nets, trammel nets, beach seines, 

 and gigging (Ginsburg 1952, Fischer 1978, Manooch 

 1984). Gill and trammel nets were outlawed in Texas 

 waters in 1988. Many are taken incidentally by com- 

 mercial shrimpers (Fischer 1978, Benson 1982). 

 Catches are marketed as eitherfresh orfrozen product 

 (Fischer 1978, NOAA 1985). 



Recreational : Gulf flounder are more important as a 

 game fish than as a commercial species, although 

 most anglers do not preferentially seek them. Fish are 

 taken by bottom fishing with hook and line, and by 

 gigging in shallow waters at night (Warlen 1975, 

 Manooch 1984). In 1991, reported recreational land- 

 ings of gulf flounder for the Gulf coast states (except 

 Texas) totaled 284,000 fish, most of which were landed 

 in Florida (241,000 fish) (Van Voorhees et al. 1992). 

 Actual sport catches were probably greater as a large 

 number of unidentified "flounders" were also reported 

 during the same period. Minimum size and daily bag 

 limits may vary among the Gulf states (GSMFC 1 993). 



Indicator of Environmental Stress : Gulf flounder are 

 not typically used in studies of environmental stress. 



Ecological : Although this species is not especially 

 abundant in most areas, it is important as a demersal 

 carnivore. 



Range 



Overall : The gulf flounder is found from Oregon Inlet, 

 North Carolina (Powell pers. comm.), to the waters off 

 Padre Island, Texas, including the upper Laguna Madre. 

 It is also reported from the western Bahamas (Hoese 

 and Moore 1 977, Shipp 1 986). It is not known to occur 

 in the coastal waters of Mexico (NOAA 1985). 



Within Study Area : In U.S. Gulf of Mexico estuaries, 

 gulf flounder occur from Florida Bay to Mississippi 

 Sound, but not in the low salinity estuaries of Louisiana 

 (Table 5.43). They occur in small numbers in Texas 

 westward to the Rio Grande (Topp and Hoff 1972, 

 Shipp 1986). 



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