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19. Flounders and Other Flatfishes
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153 ß chapter nineteen Flounders and Other Flatfishes This chapter is about the amazing transformation in the development of flatfishes. And it’s also about seafood. “Step right up! Right this way! See the fish with eyes on the TOP of its head! This is a totally amazing freak of nature !” Not even a carnival sideshow could fabricate the amazing freaks of nature known as flatfishes. Gliding through the ocean like finned flying carpets, they settle to the bottom , flip sand on their “backs,” and completely vanish— except for bulging eyes. There they lie, biding their time as the watery world scoots and scuttles above. Then, in a twinkling of those eyes, they burst forth in jet-propelled frenzy to gobble up tasty prey. We humans, in turn, pursue flatfishes with seines, hooks, and gigs, seeking most flavorsome halibut, flounder, and sole. Unlike other flattened fishes, such as stingrays, flatfishes start off life perfectly “normal,” with all parts oriented up 154 ß chapter nineteen and down, left and right. But soon after birth, a flatfish larva tilts on its side; simultaneously, its skull grotesquely warps, as the downward eye— plus its socket and optic nerve—picks up and moves 120 degrees around the top of the head. (A twist of fate? What kind of twisted thoughts would this fish be thinking?) After a few days, both eyes peer quizzically from the “top”; the mouth, likewise distorted in the process, wears an appropriately crooked expression. While their blind sides remain pale, eyed sides simulate the colors and patterns of hiding places. But this is not, by any means, a one-sided story. The combination of two starting points and a single roaming eye results in left-eyed and right-eyed taxonomic groups. In general, cold waters produce righteyed flatfishes, like the North Atlantic halibuts and soles, while warmer waters yield left-eyed creatures, like flounders and tonguefishes. (While “filet of sole” originally referred specifically to the European food fish, in the southeastern United States the term applies to any edible form.) About three dozen flatfish species are known from the Gulf Coast, with flounders showing the greatest diversity, especially in size and color pattern : southern, Gulf, broad, three-eyed (due to the presence of a prominent spot, not an extra eye), fringed, and ocellated. Of these, the southern flounder is the most important food and sport fish; therefore, much is known about its life cycle and habitat needs. During late autumn, southern flounders leave their protected coastal waters for spawning in the open Gulf, generally at depths of fifty to one hundred feet. For the resultant larvae, eye migration is complete by the time they reach one-half inch long. Young fish enter bays during early spring, seeking shallow, grassy areas near Gulf passes, then ease up [52.86.117.142] Project MUSE (2024-03-29 08:38 GMT) flounders and other flatfishes ß 155 coastal rivers and bayous. Small flounders grow rapidly, reaching twelve inches by the end of the first year; males seldom exceed this length, while females double it. (In halibuts, this sexual dimorphism is most extreme—females may reach eight feet long and weigh hundreds of pounds, with males one-tenth as large.) Most southern flounders caught (and happily consumed) are females twelve to sixteen inches long, weighing one to two pounds. Juveniles feed mainly on crustaceans, but small fish become more important in the adult diet. An adult flounder enters shallow water at night and wriggles into the sand and mud, hoping that potential prey will wander close. Then, by forcefully shooting water out its downside gill, it explodes from the bottom, using razor-sharp teeth to dispatch its victim, then settles gently back down again. Fishes like flounders, that strike fast but have no staying power, possess flanks of mild-flavored and flaky white muscle that lend themselves most admirably to the culinary arts. (The flight muscles of “flightless” birds, like chickens, are similar.) Broiled, baked, or fried, perhaps stuffed with crabmeat or scallop dressing . . . . Mmmmmmmm good! Because of their lightning-quick reflexes, southern flounders make storied game fish. But an angler who doesn’t have his rig (and attached arm and shoulder) jerked overboard during the first vicious strike usually has little trouble landing his soon-exhausted, shifty-eyed catch. (Experienced fishermen use live bait—shrimp and killifish—to ensure success.) The more sedate gigging or “floundering” is best done by lantern light around jetties and oyster reefs, especially on calm, dark nights during late autumn. Hefting...