In the Northeast, fluke, or summer flounder, are a revered species that are targeted both for sport and for the dinner table. In the winter and early spring months, there is a fun alternative to fluke: the winter flounder. Winter flounder and summer flounder (fluke) have a few distinct differences, but both fish make for great eating.
At one point, winter flounder were one of the most sought after fish in the Northeast during the early spring months. However, around the year 2000 the winter flounder fishery in the Northeast experienced a massive collapse, largely due to overfishing and mismanaged harvest rates. There were so many fish being caught and kept for the dinner table that the flounder never had a chance to effectively repopulate. Today, under more strict management, they are slowly but surely making a comeback. In this video, Captain Robb Roach fishes the shallows of Rhode Island in search of his first winter flounder in over 20 years. Check out the video, and click here to learn more about winter flounder and future management of the fishery.
They are not making a comeback while the draggers are scooping up what’s left of them.
that’s a fact
Same thing happened in Jersey. The draggers and sporties filling their burlap bags with flatties ruined this species. Will we ever learn?