 Starry Flounder (Platichthys stellatus)
 Distribution of starry flounder in San
Francisco Bay
Starry flounder are estuarine flatfish which range from Santa Barbara,
California north to Arctic Alaska, and in the eastern Pacific to the Sea of
Japan. They are common in coastal areas and estuaries at depths of less than
one to 274 m. Starry flounder reach a maximum size of
about 915 mm TL, and are a minor, non-targeted component of the
commercial bottom trawl catch. They are more important to recreational
fisheries in bays and estuaries.
The abundance of starry flounder in the Bay has been related to
freshwater outflow during the winter and spring preceding their first entry into
the Bay. Freshwater outflow has been hypothesized to provide a
means for spawners and YOY to locate the Bay, and to create nursery habitat for
YOY. Both YOY and older starry flounder inhabit brackish water areas and these
areas increase in size with increased outflow. A reduction in freshwater outflow
associated with the drought (1987-1992) is probably one factor associated with the
decline in starry flounder in the Bay since the mid-1980s.
Annual abundance indices for the
starry flounder are generated by the San Francisco Bay Monitoring Program
using otter trawl data.
|
