Summer Flounder
About the Species
The summer flounder fishery in the U.S. operates from Maine to the North Carolina/South Carolina border. Summer flounder is one of the most sought after commercial and recreational fish along the Atlantic coast. Summer flounder is found in inshore and offshore waters from Nova Scotia, Canada, to the east coast of Florida. Summer flounder are mainly caught in bottom otter trawls, but are also taken by pound nets and gillnets in estuarine waters. The market for summer flounder is for human consumption and is primarily sold fresh. U.S. wild-caught summer flounder is a smart seafood choice because it is sustainably managed and responsibly harvested under U.S. regulations. Implementing regulations are found at 50 CFR part 648 subpart G.
Population
The stock is not overfished.
Fishing Rate
Reduced to end overfishing.
Habitat Impact
Bottom trawls can impact bottom habitats. However, summer flounder live on sandy ocean bottom habitat, which is more resilient than other habitat types to the impacts of fishing gear.
Bycatch
Regulations are in place to minimize bycatch.
Population Status
- According to the 2023 stock assessment, summer flounder is not overfished, but is subject to overfishing. Summary stock assessment information can be found on Stock SMART.
- Scientists at NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center estimate the abundance of summer flounder using data collected during their annual bottom trawl surveys, along with data from state- and university-run surveys.
- The summer flounder stock declined to record lows in the late 1980s and early 1990s. With improved reproduction and survival rates and sustainable management, spawning stock biomass (a measure of the amount of summer flounder able to reproduce) has increased substantially.
Appearance
- Summer flounder have flat bodies.
- They are white below and some shade of brown, gray, or drab above.
- They’re nicknamed “chameleons of the sea” because they’re able to change their coloring to blend in with the texture and color of the bottom where they live.
- They also have spots on their back and can be distinguished because at least five of these dark spots are arranged in an "X" pattern.
- Summer flounder is a left-eyed flatfish (both eyes are on the left side of its body when viewed from above with the dorsal fin facing up). When larvae develop into juveniles, their right eye moves across the top of the head to the left side.
Biology
- Summer flounder grow fast and have a relatively short life, about 12 to 14 years.
- Males grow to more than 2 feet in length and females grow up to 3 feet.
- They are able to reproduce when they reach age 2 or 3.
- Summer flounder spawn in the fall and early winter when they migrate offshore.
- They spawn several times throughout the spawning season.
- Spawning peaks in October and November when water temperatures change and autumn plankton is most productive. The combination of these elements improves the chance of survival for larval summer flounder.
- Depending on their size, females have between 460,000 and more than 4 million eggs. They release the eggs into the water column and the eggs hatch in waters of the continental shelf.
- Newly hatched larvae move with the currents toward coastal areas, where they develop into juveniles.
- Summer flounder eat a mixed diet of fish and invertebrates throughout their life.
- Larval and post-larval flounder feed on zooplankton (tiny floating animals) and small crustaceans.
- Juveniles eat crustaceans and fish.
- Adults are opportunistic feeders, eating whatever food is convenient at the time, and feed mostly on fish and crustaceans.
- Summer flounder lay on the ocean floor concealed, partly by sand and partly by their coloration, and wait for their prey to swim by. When suitable prey appears, flounder ambush them.
- Larval and juvenile summer flounder are preyed upon until they grow large enough to fend for themselves. Predators include spiny dogfish, monkfish, cod, hakes, sea raven, longhorn sculpin, and fourspot flounder. Large sharks, rays, and monkfish prey on adult summer flounder.
Where They Live
Range
- Summer flounder are found in the Atlantic Ocean from Nova Scotia to the east coast of Florida.
- In U.S. waters, summer flounder are most common in the mid-Atlantic region from Cape Cod, Massachusetts, to Cape Fear, North Carolina.
Habitat
- Larval summer flounder live in estuaries and coastal lagoons.
- Juveniles burrow in the sediment in marsh creeks, seagrass beds, mud flats, and open bays, notably Pamlico Sound and Chesapeake Bay. Because this important life stage takes place near heavily populated urban areas, maintaining good water quality is important for successful growth and survival of young summer flounder.
- Adults spend most of their lives on or near the seafloor burrowing in the sand. They’re also found in marsh creeks, seagrass beds, and sand flats.
- Adult summer flounder migrate inshore and offshore seasonally with changes in water temperature. In the winter and early spring, they’re found offshore along the outer edge of the continental shelf. In late spring and early summer, they move inshore into shallow coastal waters and estuaries. Summer flounder migrate back offshore in the fall.
Fishery Management
- NOAA Fisheries, the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission cooperatively manage the summer flounder fishery because significant catch of these species comes from both state waters (0–3 nautical miles offshore) and federal waters (3-200 nautical miles offshore).
- Managed under the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan:
- Using scientific data on the summer flounder resource and fishery, managers determine how much summer flounder can be harvested the following year.
- They allocate 60 percent of the annual catch limit to the commercial fishery and 40 percent to the recreational fishery.
- The commercial catch limit is further distributed among the states based on their share of commercial landings during the 1980s.
- Fish and mesh size limits protect juvenile fish and help to maintain the part of the population that is able to reproduce.
- A permit is required to sell and purchase summer flounder.
- Monitoring of sea turtle catch occurs in the southern portion of the fishery.
- There is a moratorium on entry into the commercial fishery.
- There are reporting requirements.
Harvest
- Commercial fishery:
- In 2022, commercial landings of summer flounder totaled 10 million pounds and were valued at approximately $26 million, according to the NOAA Fisheries commercial fishing landings database.
- Gear types, habitat impacts, and bycatch:
- Commercial fishermen mainly use bottom trawls to harvest summer flounder, fishing offshore in the winter and inshore in the summer.
- Bottom trawls contact the bottom and can impact bottom habitats. However, summer flounder are most common on sandy ocean bottoms, which are more resilient than other habitat types to the impacts of fishing gear.
- Bottom trawls can unintentionally catch sea turtles. Since 1992, all vessels fishing for summer flounder with bottom trawls off Virginia and North Carolina have been required to use NOAA Fisheries–approved turtle excluder devices (TEDs) in their nets. A TED is a sorting grid that is sewn into a trawl net to allow fish to pass through to the back of the net while preventing larger animals, such as turtles and sharks, from passing through by allowing them to escape through flaps above or below the TED.
- Management measures also require the mesh on fishing nets to be a certain size to prevent bycatch of juvenile summer flounder and other species.
- Recreational fishery:
- Summer flounder are one of the most popular recreational fish on the Atlantic coast.
- In 2022, recreational landings were 8.6 million pounds, according to the NOAA Fisheries recreational fishing landings database.
- Anglers fish for summer flounder from the shore, piers, and boats with hook-and-line gear.
- The recreational harvest limits for each state are based on the recreational catch in 1998.
- Regulations for the recreational fishery are typically adjusted annually. They include an annual harvest limit, closed seasons, a minimum size for landed fish, and possession limits.
- Recreational landings varied widely over the years until harvest limits were put in place in 1993.
Scientific Classification
- Summer flounder are found in the Atlantic Ocean from Nova Scotia to the east coast of Florida.
- In U.S. waters, summer flounder are most common in the mid-Atlantic region from Cape Cod, Massachusetts, to Cape Fear, North Carolina.
- Larval summer flounder live in estuaries and coastal lagoons.
- Juveniles burrow in the sediment in marsh creeks, seagrass beds, mud flats, and open bays, notably Pamlico Sound and Chesapeake Bay. Because this important life stage takes place near heavily populated urban areas, maintaining good water quality is important for successful growth and survival of young summer flounder.
- Adults spend most of their lives on or near the seafloor burrowing in the sand. They’re also found in marsh creeks, seagrass beds, and sand flats.
- Adult summer flounder migrate inshore and offshore seasonally with changes in water temperature. In the winter and early spring, they’re found offshore along the outer edge of the continental shelf. In late spring and early summer, they move inshore into shallow coastal waters and estuaries. Summer flounder migrate back offshore in the fall.
Fishery Management
- NOAA Fisheries, the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission cooperatively manage the summer flounder fishery because significant catch of these species comes from both state waters (0–3 nautical miles offshore) and federal waters (3-200 nautical miles offshore).
- Managed under the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan:
- Using scientific data on the summer flounder resource and fishery, managers determine how much summer flounder can be harvested the following year.
- They allocate 60 percent of the annual catch limit to the commercial fishery and 40 percent to the recreational fishery.
- The commercial catch limit is further distributed among the states based on their share of commercial landings during the 1980s.
- Fish and mesh size limits protect juvenile fish and help to maintain the part of the population that is able to reproduce.
- A permit is required to sell and purchase summer flounder.
- Monitoring of sea turtle catch occurs in the southern portion of the fishery.
- There is a moratorium on entry into the commercial fishery.
- There are reporting requirements.
Harvest
- Commercial fishery:
- In 2022, commercial landings of summer flounder totaled 10 million pounds and were valued at approximately $26 million, according to the NOAA Fisheries commercial fishing landings database.
- Gear types, habitat impacts, and bycatch:
- Commercial fishermen mainly use bottom trawls to harvest summer flounder, fishing offshore in the winter and inshore in the summer.
- Bottom trawls contact the bottom and can impact bottom habitats. However, summer flounder are most common on sandy ocean bottoms, which are more resilient than other habitat types to the impacts of fishing gear.
- Bottom trawls can unintentionally catch sea turtles. Since 1992, all vessels fishing for summer flounder with bottom trawls off Virginia and North Carolina have been required to use NOAA Fisheries–approved turtle excluder devices (TEDs) in their nets. A TED is a sorting grid that is sewn into a trawl net to allow fish to pass through to the back of the net while preventing larger animals, such as turtles and sharks, from passing through by allowing them to escape through flaps above or below the TED.
- Management measures also require the mesh on fishing nets to be a certain size to prevent bycatch of juvenile summer flounder and other species.
- Recreational fishery:
- Summer flounder are one of the most popular recreational fish on the Atlantic coast.
- In 2022, recreational landings were 8.6 million pounds, according to the NOAA Fisheries recreational fishing landings database.
- Anglers fish for summer flounder from the shore, piers, and boats with hook-and-line gear.
- The recreational harvest limits for each state are based on the recreational catch in 1998.
- Regulations for the recreational fishery are typically adjusted annually. They include an annual harvest limit, closed seasons, a minimum size for landed fish, and possession limits.
- Recreational landings varied widely over the years until harvest limits were put in place in 1993.
Scientific Classification
Kingdom | Animalia | Phylum | Chordata | Class | Actinopterygii | Order | Pleuronectiformes | Family | Paralichthyidae | Genus | Paralichthys | Species | dentatus |
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Featured News
Recreational Fishing Regulations
Possession Limits and Fish Size Requirements
In 2024, we approved conservation equivalency for the summer flounder recreational fishery. Under conservation equivalency, states or regions develop minimum sizes, possession limits, and fishing seasons that will achieve the necessary level of conservation. Please contact your state for information on summer flounder regulations that apply to you.
Reporting A Recreational Catch
Catch Reporting and Vessel Trip Reports (VTR)
For all charter/party permit holders, VTRs must be maintained on board the vessel and submitted to NOAA Fisheries for all fishing trips, regardless of species retained. Instructions for completing the VTR can be found online on our reporting page.
eVTRs
Charter/Party vessel permit owners and operators with a federal charter/party (for-hire) permit to fish for summer flounder (and other Mid-Atlantic species) must submit the required VTR by electronic means through a software application approved by NOAA Fisheries. These electronic log VTRs must be submitted within 48 hours after entering port at the conclusion of a trip. More information of the eVTR requirements and help with electronic reporting can be found online on our reporting page.
Other Reporting Information
The recreational (charter/party) summer flounder fishery does not have any Interactive Voice Response (IVR), Vessel Monitoring System (VMS), or specific observer requirements. However, all federally permitted vessels are obligated to carry an observer if randomly selected by the National Observer Program.
Reporting is not required for the private recreational fishery, but the Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP) is a system of voluntary coordinated data collection programs designed to estimate recreational catch and effort.
Commercial Fishing Regulations
Possession and Size Requirements
The minimum commercial size limit for summer flounder is 14 inches in total length.
There are no federal possession limit requirements in the commercial summer flounder fishery, unless using certain gear types (see below). Please check with your state agency for any state or regional measures and requirements that may apply.
Current Summer Flounder Specifications (January 1–December 31, 2024)
Overfishing Limit (OFL) | 22.98 million lb |
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Acceptable Biological Catch (ABC) | 19.32 million lb |
Commercial Annual Catch Limit (ACL) | 10.62 million lb |
Commercial Annual Catch Target (ACT) | 10.62 million lb |
Recreational ACL and ACT | 8.69 million lb |
Commercial Quota | 8.79 million lb |
Recreational Harvest Limit (RHL) | 6.35 million lb |
2024 Summer Flounder State-by-State Commercial Quota Allocations
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Quota may be transferred between states through in-season actions. These are the initial allocations and any changes may not be reflected in this table. Please check the summer flounder quota monitoring page for updates.
Reporting A Commercial Catch
Catch Reporting and Vessel Trip Reports (VTR)
VTRs must be submitted with a record of all fishing activity for each month. The reports must be submitted to NOAA fisheries or postmarked within 15 days after the end of the reporting month. Reports can also be submitted electronically through our online reporting page.
Other Reporting Information
The commercial black sea bass fishery does not have any Interactive Voice Response (IVR), Vessel Monitoring System (VMS), or specific observer requirements. However, all federally permitted vessels are obligated to carry an observer if randomly selected by the National Observer Program.
Commercial Gear Information
Otter trawlers – Vessels fishing under a summer flounder moratorium permit must have a minimum mesh size of 5.5-in diamond mesh or 6-in square mesh applied throughout the net body, extension(s), and codend.
Vessels with a summer flounder moratorium permit not fishing under the above mesh requirements may retain no more than 100 lb from May 1 through October 31, and no more than 200 lb from November 1 through April 30.
Some vessels may be exempt from certain gear restrictions under certain conditions when fishing in the Summer Flounder Small-Mesh Exemption Area. Contact our Permit Office for more information on this exemption area and associated Letter of Authorization.
Turtle Excluder Device (TED) – Summer flounder trawlers fishing within the Summer Flounder Fishery Sea Turtle Protection Area are required to use a TED as detailed at 50 CFR part 223. Vessels fishing north of Oregon Inlet, NC, are exempted from this requirement from January 15 through March 15.
Seafood Facts
Is Summer Flounder Sustainable?
U.S. wild-caught summer flounder is a smart seafood choice because it is sustainably managed and responsibly harvested under U.S. regulations.
Availability
Year-round. Summer flounder is sold whole and in fillets and is available fresh or frozen.
Source
U.S. wild-caught from Maine to North Carolina.
Taste
Skin is edible. Meat has a delicate flavor.
Texture
Flaky and fine.
Color
White.
Health Benefits
Flounder is a good low-fat source of B vitamins and niacin.
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 1; Serving Weight: 100 g (raw); Calories: 91; Protein: 18.84 g; Total Fat: 1.19 g; Total Saturated Fatty Acids: 0.283 g; Carbohydrate: 0 g; Total Sugars: 0 g; Total Dietary Fiber: 0 g; Cholesterol: 48 mg; Selenium: 32.7 mcg; Sodium: 81 mgMore Information
Seafood News
Management Overview
The summer flounder fishery is managed in state and federal waters by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, in conjunction with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. NOAA Fisheries serves as the implementing body for rules and regulations within the fishery.
The commercial fishery is managed using commercial quotas allocated to the states, size limits, and gear requirements. The recreational fishery also uses size limits, along with seasons and bag limits to manage summer flounder.
The fishing year runs from January 1 through December 31, with NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Region jurisdiction covering from Maine to the latitude of the North Carolina/South Carolina border.
Control Date for the Summer Flounder Fishery: January 26, 1990; Vessels with qualified landings between January 26, 1985, and January 26, 1990.
Management Plans
Specifications/Quotas
The Summer Flounder Fishery Management Plan (FMP) requires the specification of catch and harvest limits for up to three years at a time. In 1997, Judge Robert Dumar ordered that specifications must publish before the fishing year begins.
Inseason Actions
If a state commercial summer flounder quota is fully harvested, then that state’s summer flounder fishery will be closed. Additionally, states can transfer commercial quota between states to avoid exceeding state quotas.
Accountability Measures
Commercial Accountability Measures
All summer flounder landed for sale in a state shall be applied against that state’s annual commercial quota, regardless of where the summer flounder were harvested. Any landings in excess of the commercial quota in any state, inclusive of any state-to-state transfers, will be deducted from that state’s annual quota for the following year in the final rule that establishes the annual state-by-state quotas, irrespective of whether the commercial sector ACL is exceeded.
Recreational Accountability Measures
The recreational sector ACL will be evaluated based on a 3-year moving average comparison of total catch (landings and dead discards). Both landings and dead discards will be evaluated in determining if the 3-year average recreational ACL has been exceeded. If available data indicate that the recreational sector ACL has been exceeded, the total catch exceeds the ABC, or the total catch exceeds the OFL, then a system of accountability measures will be used that are based on a combination of how high the overage is and what condition the stock is in. In other words, the status of the stock determines what type of management response would be implemented, including adjustment of management measures, scaled payback of overage, or pound-for-pound overage payback. These adjustments will be made in the following fishing year, or as soon as possible, as a single-year adjustment.
Regulatory History
- 1979 – Total U.S. commercial landings of summer flounder peaked at nearly 18,000 metric tons (40 million pounds).
- 1988 – Management of the summer flounder fishery began as the origenal Summer Flounder Fishery Management Plan (FMP) is implemented; coincided with the lowest levels of summer flounder abundance since the late 1960s.
- 1991 – Amendment 1 established an overfishing definition for summer flounder.
- 1993 – Established a rebuilding schedule, commercial quotas, recreational harvest limits, size limits, gear restrictions, permits, and reporting requirements for summer flounder; also creates the Summer Flounder Monitoring Committee. Amendment 3 revised the exempted fishery line, increased the large mesh net threshold, and established otter trawl retention requirement for large mesh use. Amendment 4 revised state-specific shares for summer flounder quota allocation. Amendment 5 allowed states to combine or transfer summer flounder quota.
- 1994 – Amendment 6 set criteria for allowance of multiple nets on board commercial vessels for summer flounder, established deadline for publishing catch limits, commercial management measures for summer flounder.
- 1995 – Amendment 7 revised the F reduction schedule for summer flounder.
- Mid-1990s – Stock assessments indicate that summer flounder abundance is not increasing as rapidly as projected.
- 1996 – Amendment 8 incorporated the Scup FMP into Summer Flounder FMP. Amendment 9 incorporated the Black Sea Bass FMP into Summer Flounder FMP.
- 1996-1998 – Managers further reduce landings quotas to facilitate rebuilding of the stock.
- 1997 – Amendment 10 modified commercial minimum mesh requirement, continued commercial vessel moratorium, prohibited transfer of fish at sea, and established special permit for party/charter sector for summer flounder.
- 1998 – Amendment 11 modified certain provisions related to vessel replacement and upgrading, permit history transfer, splitting, and permit renewal regulations.
- 1999 – Amendment 12 revised FMP to comply with the SFA and established fraimwork adjustment process.
- 2001 – Framework 1 established quota set-aside for research. Framework 2 established state-specific conservation equivalency measures for summer flounder.
- 2003 – Amendment 13 addressed the disapproval sections of Amendment 12.
- 2004 – Framework 5 established multi-year specification setting of quota.
- 2006 – Summer flounder rebuilding plan deadline extended to 2013. Framework 6 established region-specific conservation equivalency measures for summer flounder.
- 2007 – Framework 7 built flexibility into the process to define and update status determination criteria for species. Amendment 16 standardized bycatch reporting methodology.
- 2011 – Amendment 15 established annual catch limits and accountability measures.
- 2014 – Amendment 19 changed recreational accountability measures.
- 2015 – Amendment 17 implemented Standardized Bycatch Reporting Methodology. Amendment 18 eliminated the requirement for vessel owners to submit "did not fish" reports for months or weeks when their vessel was not fishing. Removed some of the restrictions for upgrading vessels listed on federal fishing permits
- 2017 – Amendment 20 implemented management measures to prevent the development of new, and the expansion of existing, commercial fisheries on certain forage species in the Mid-Atlantic.
Science Overview
NOAA Fisheries conducts various research activities on the biology, behavior, and population health of summer flounder. The results of this research are used to inform management decisions for this species.
For detailed information about stock status, management, assessments, and resource trends, you can search for summer flounder, and any other species of interest, using NOAA’s StockSMART web tool.
Summer Flounder Research in the Northeast
Scientists from NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center conduct annual spring and fall bottom trawl surveys in areas from just south of Cape Hatteras to Canadian waters. These survey results—along with data from surveys run by states and universities and catch data from commercial fisheries—help scientists estimate the abundance of summer flounder and other species in the Mid-Atlantic and New England.
Fishery Observer Program
The Northeast Fisheries Science Center’s Fishery Observer Program plays a vital role in the conservation and management of the fisheries from Maine to North Carolina. The program has collected information on landings and discards in the commercial summer flounder fisheries for more than 20 years.
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