Name
Yellowtail flounder
Myzopsetta ferruginea
Type
Bottom fish
Other names
Rusty dab
Kitchen name
Sole, flounder
Resource status
Vulnerable
Consumption season
Fresh in spring and autumn.
SIZE:
Up to 64 cm.
LIFE EXPECTANCY:
Up to 12 years.
LIFE CYCLE:
Sexual maturity is at age 3 or 35 cm in length.
Spawning takes place between May and July. Each female lays between 350,000 and 4 million eggs. These rise to the surface and hatch around five days later.
The larvae live near the surface for two months. They then migrate to the bottom when they measure 14 mm.
On the bottom, at depths ranging from 25 m to 365 m.
The yellowtail flounder likes sandy and muddy bottoms. It favours cold water between 2 and 6 °C.
PREYS:
Shrimp
Small crustaceans
Worms
Small molluscs
PREDATORS:
Cod
Other bottom fish
Northern gannets
MACHINES:
Trawl, seine, gillnet.
REGULATIONS:
The yellowtail flounder fishery has been under a moratorium since February 2023 in the southern part of the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
Itsy-bitsy tiny
The mouth of yellowtail flounder is so small that it is impossible to fish them with a hook.
BENEFITS:
The yellowtail flounder is an excellent source of protein and vitamin B, including niacin.
LET’S COOK:
Firm, flaky texture. Lean, soft flesh. Delicate flavour, somewhere between bland and sweet. Yellowtail flounder has no bones.
NOS CONSEILS CULINAIRES:
This project was made possible through funding from Digital Museums Canada and the participation and collaboration of Université Laval.
© 2025 A Wave of Flavours
