St. Lawrence species

Winter flounder

Pseudopleuronectes americanus

Type of resource

  • Bottom fish
  • Fish

Other names

Lemon sole, blackback, flounder

Culinary name

Flounder

Status of the resource

  • Vulnérable

In season

Fresh in spring and summer.

SIZE:

Up to 64 cm.

LIFE EXPECTANCY:

11 to 12 years.

LIFE CYCLE:

Spawning takes place at night, near the end of winter and in spring.

Females lay up to 2.5 million eggs that will stick to the bottom, generally at shallow depths. The young are born after two to three weeks and spend most of their first year in estuaries.

After two to three months, the eyes of the winter flounder will have migrated to the right side.
Credit: Jean-Christophe Lemay, photo taken off Rimouski in 2018 at 5 meters depth.