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The body of the winter flounder is oval-shaped, flat, and thick.
Beginning life with eyes on both sides of its head, after a few weeks,
the left eye migrates to the right side of the body. Flounders with
both eyes on the right side are referred to as "right-eyed" flounder.
The eyes remain close together on the upper side of the fish. The left,
or blind side, of the fish is white and faces the bottom.
Unlike other Narragansett Bay flounder, winter flounder have rough
scales and a small mouth, with thick, puckered lips and small rows of
slightly rough, flattened teeth. Winter flounder can change color to
blend in with the bottom type, but generally are much darker than most
other bay flatfish. The straight lateral line that runs down the middle
of the winter flounder from head to tail functions as a sense organ,
allowing the flounder to detect movement in the surrounding environment.
Narragansett Bay and coastal salt ponds are important spawning
areas for winter flounder. Mature adults migrate from deeper waters in
the Bay and Rhode Island Sound into shallower waters during the late
fall. Spawning occurs in the Bay from late December into April. They
deposit clusters of sinking eggs in slow-flowing coves and embayments.
Juvenile fish remain in shallow nursery areas for two to three years
before migrating to deeper water. Winter flounder are the only Bay
flatfish that spend their entire early life in the estuary.
Winter flounder prefer sandy or muddy bottoms, and are sometimes
found near eelgrass beds, but can also be found on many bottom types.
They are omnivores and feed on shrimp, amphipods, larval fish, mollusks,
worms, and some types of seaweeds and plants.
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Pleuronectes americanus
