A medium sized flat fish that is very closely related to plaice.
Flounder stocks are unstudied in our area but across Europe their abundance appears to be increasing. There are few management measures for this species but in Cornwall minimum landing size is 25cm. This species is rarely landed by Cornish fishermen and rarely commands a good price but it is delicious and under-utilized.
Beam trawls are nets with a steel beam that holds the net open. The belly of the net is made of chains and the upper surface of the net is mesh. Beam trawlers pull two nets along the seabed simultaneously.
Learn moreDemersal trawls are large nets that are pulled through the water with the bottom edge of the net touching the seabed. At each edge the net is pulled open by metal ‘trawl doors’. Sometimes referred to as Otter trawling.
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Cornwall Good Seafood Guide rates fish on sustainability using a scale of 1 to 5.
1, 2 and 3 are recommended, Fish to avoid are rated 5.
We use the system devised by the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) so our scores are comparable with the scores produced by MCS for the UK and fisheries from all around the world. For more information on scoring click here.
Flounders are flat fish that prefer estuaries. It is a species with a more northern distribution and it at the lower edges of its distribution in Cornwall. They spend most of their time in estuaries but can also be found at sea at depths of up to 50 metres. They feed on invertebrates and small fish and live up to 15 years. It spawns between February and June.
This stock is relatively unstudied in Cornish waters. Landings to Cornish ports fluctuate between 2 and 14 tonnes per year. According to a study carried out by CEFAS flounder is classed as an underutilized species that is tolerant to fishing and are therefore a good species for consumers to try.
There are no management measures in place except a minimum landing size of 25cm in CIFCA district. Catches are not limited as it is a non-quota species. Total landings are up to 12 tonnes per year so it is not a massively important species in Cornwall.
Flounder are caught as by catch in trawls and gill nets.
Cornwall Good Seafood Guide is underpinned by the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) Good Fish Guide. The first UK consumer guide to sustainable seafood. For more information visit www.fishonline.org
