Species Profiles: Life Histories and Environmental Requirements of Coastal Fishes and Invertebrates (South Florida) - Southern, Gulf, and Summer Flounders

摘要

The southern, gulf, and summer flounders live most of their lives in or near estuaries. Adults migrate into offshore waters during fall and winter, where spawning occurs from September to April. Eggs and newly-hatched larvae are carried inshore into estuaries, where further growth takes place. Age at sexual maturity for the three species has been estimated from 2 to 4 years, and maximum longevity from 3 to 10 years. The summer and gulf flounders prefer a hard and/or sandy substrate, whereas the southern flounder is more common in a soft bottom of rich organic mud, clay, or silt. Commercial catch statistics lump the three species together under the name 'flounder'. Peak commercial catch in the Gulf of Mexico (in 1977) was 1.5 million 1b, for a value of $561,000; peak catch in the south Atlantic region (also in 1977) was 11.4 million 1b, for a value of $5,100,000.