468 
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES 
mus, therefore, appear to be in need of verification. Whether one or two species are 
represented on the Gulf coast seems to us uncertain and in need of further study. 
It is impossible to give at the present time the southernmost range of the local form, 
which is referred to in the present paper as albiguttus. 
The relative abundance and economic importance of the two or more species of 
summer flounders inhabiting the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York 
to Texas is not known, as the fish are not separated in the market because of their 
close similarity and statistical reports treat them as a single species. Furthermore, 
in Chesapeake Bay and northward to New York the winter flounder, Pseudopleuro- 
nectes americanus, enters into the catch which is listed simply as “flounders” in the 
statistical reports of the United States Bureau of Fisheries. The bulk of the catch, 
however, quite certainly consists of summer flounders. As the winter flounder does 
not occur in commercial numbers south of Chesapeake Bay, the catches reported 
southward from Virginia consist wholly of summer flounders. It is probable, further- 
more, that dentatus is not included in the catches from the Gulf coast. 
The total annual catch of flounders from the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the 
United States, reported in the most recent statistical records of the United States 
Bureau of Fisheries, amounts to 11,775,046 pounds, valued at $711,224. These data 
are based on the 1926 canvass of the Middle Atlantic States, the 1925 canvass of the 
Chesapeake Bay States, and the 1927 canvass of the South Atlantic and the Gulf 
States. North Carolina produced 348,978 pounds, valued at $23,009. Other States 
with large catches are New York, 7,352,158 pounds (a considerable part of this catch 
probably consists of winter flounders); New Jersey, 2,921,714; Delaware, 66,040; 
Maryland, 118,078; Virginia, 1,581,817; Florida, 131,104; Mississippi, 92,930; and 
Texas, 77,580. 
The summer flounders are not as numerous in the vicinity of Beaufort as several 
other species of fishes. However, they are of much commercial importance, for they 
are caught virtually throughout the year, they are well flavored, and always bring a 
fairly good price. Locally these flounders are caught principally with drag nets, 
hauled over sandy and muddy bottom. However, quite a few are taken at night by 
a method known locally as “floundering.” A torch with a tank for holding kerosene 
is placed in the bow of a flat-bottomed skiff. A long pipe with a burner is connected 
with the kerosene tank in such a way that the burner projects a few feet beyond the 
bow of the boat, placing the light well in advance of the skiff. Formerly “lightwood ” 
or pine knots were used in a “fire basket” for flounder fighting, but this land of fight 
has been replaced largely by kerosene torches. On calm nights and on low or a rising 
tide, skiffs equipped with a torch are slowly poled along the beach in shallow water, 
while the fisherman keeps a close watch for flounders. The fish often are nearly 
buried in the sand and onty the general outline can be seen and, therefore, they are 
easily overlooked. When a flounder is found, it is gigged or speared. “Floundering ” 
is successful only on calm nights, as ripples on the water interfere with vision. 
The two forms recognized in this paper appear to be about equally common at 
Beaufort as indicated by market catches examined and by the fact that among 566 
fish caught with various collecting gear and brought to the laboratory occurred 289 
specimens identified as dentatus and 277 identified as albiguttus. The size attained 
also seems to be about equal. The largest specimen of albiguttus that we have seen 
was 29 inches long and weighed 12% pounds, whereas the largest specimen of dentatus 
measured by us was 20 inches long. However, somewhat larger ones have been 
observed in the market. The maximum size attained by dentatus is reported as 3 feet 
