Species Spotlight: Fluke
Fluke is a species of flatfish also known as summer flounder. Some other names include northern fluke or hirame. Fluke is a type of flounder but this name helps distinguish it from the very similar Winter Flounder.
Fluke is a valuable food fish and has remained a popular commercial and recreational catch for hundreds of years. CCE Marine Program has done studies to help manage the Fluke stocks here on Long Island. By studying the ratio of males versus females landed and their sizes, CCE was able to help NYS DEC determine the correct size limit to allow for the larger, egg-laying females to produce the most offspring and be kept in the population!
To learn more about how you can help local fish, check out our F.I.S.H Initiative and the work the CCE Marine Fisheries Team does!
Fluke
Paralichthys dentatus
Fluke face left when their mouth points up and winter flounder face right when their mouth points up.
Flue are able to change their coloring to blend in with the texture and color of the bottom where they live.
CCE Marine Program has done studies to help manage the Fluke stocks here on Long Island.
Fluke
Scientific Name: Paralichthys dentatus
Identification: The way to distinguish fluke and winter flounder is by knowing if they are right or left eyed. Fluke face left when their mouth points up and winter flounder face right when their mouth points up. Fluke have a big mouth with sharp teeth unlike winter flounder that have a smaller soft mouth with no teeth. Fluke are also a lighter, more dappled brown than winter flounder. They also have “eye” spots patterned along their body. Males grow to more than 2 feet in length and females grow up to 3 feet.
Diet: Like other flounder, fluke hide at the bottom to catch prey. Fluke are opportunistic, ambush feedersand will mostly prey upon small fish and crustaceans that pass by unaware. They lie buried in the sand waiting for prey to come close, then jump up and swallow them whole!
Habitat: Fluke are found in inshore and offshore waters from Nova Scotia, Canada, to the east coast of Florida along the East Coast of the United States.
Find this Species: Fluke fishing season here in New York, runs from May 1st - October 9th. The best places to fish for fluke is in warm water. Shallow water warms up faster, so piers and beaches are the best places to find fluke early in the summer!
Interesting Facts: Fluke grow fast and have a relatively short life, about 12 to 14 years.
They are 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!
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.
Fluke spawn in the fall and early winter. When it’s time, the larval fish lays on its side and develops into a juvenile once its right eye moves across the top of its head to the left side.
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.