The Atlantic Windowpane Flounder also know as a Sand Flounder is a thin bodied, left eyed flatfish species that can be found in the northwest Atlantic from the Gulf of St. Lawrence all the way to Florida. Like other flounder they prefer a sandy bottom at depths from shoreline to 60 meters.  They are most abundant in our waters during late spring through autumn.  If you have ever looked at one up close you would understand where the name windowpane came from, you can nearly see through this species.

Recreational catches of Windowpane Flounder are insignificant.  This is presumably a result of the species’ thin body. They are primarily caught in bottom trawls.

The median length at maturity is 22.5 cm for females from the northern stock and 21.2 cm for females from the southern stock (O’Brien et al. 1993). Fish from Southern New England attain a maximum age of about eight years and females reach maturity between three and four years of age. With the exception of Georges Bank, a split spawning season with peaks in spring and autumn occurs in most coastal areas between Virginia and Long Island. Spawning occurs in the southern Mid-Atlantic Bight during April or May and on Georges Bank during July and August and then reoccurs in a north to south direction with a second peak in October or November depending on latitude.  During the first year of life, spring-spawned fish have significantly faster growth rates than autumn-spawned fish, which may result in differential natural mortality rates between the two cohorts.