
About The Species
U.S. wild-caught arrowtooth flounder is a smart seafood choice because it is sustainably managed and responsibly harvested under U.S. regulations.

Population Level
Above target population levels.

Fishing Status
At recommended levels.

Habitat Impacts
Area closures and gear restrictions protect habitats affected by some types of fishing gear used to harvest arrowtooth flounder.

Bycatch
Regulations are in place to minimize bycatch.
Status
- There are three stocks of arrowtooth flounder: Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands, Gulf of Alaska, and West Coast. According to the most recent stock assessments:
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The Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands stock is not overfished and not subject to overfishing (2018 stock assessment). Summary stock assessment information can be found on Stock SMART.
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The Gulf of Alaska stock is not overfished and not subject to overfishing (2018 stock assessment). Summary stock assessment information can be found on Stock SMART.
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The West Coast stock is not overfished (2017 stock assessment), and it is not subject to overfishing based on 2018 catch data. Summary stock assessment information can be found on Stock SMART.
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Appearance
- Arrowtooth flounder are a relatively large, brownish colored flatfish with a large mouth.
- They’re members of the family Pleuronectidae, the right-eyed flounders, which have both eyes on the right side and lie on the ocean floor on their left side.
Biology
- Arrowtooth flounder grow slowly and can live up to 27 years.
- Males can reach 2 feet in length, and females grow a bit larger, up to almost 3 feet.
- Males sexually mature when they reach 3 to 7 years old, and females are able to reproduce when they reach 4 to 8 years old.
- Spawning season varies by location:
- Off the West Coast from late fall through early spring.
- In the Gulf of Alaska during spring and summer.
- Off the coast of Alaska during fall and winter.
- They spawn multiple times during a spawning season, releasing eggs that are then fertilized externally.
- Arrowtooth flounder eggs hatch in deep water (below 400 meters) and rise up the water column as they develop, then settle to the ocean bottom during the summer and fall.
- Larvae eat copepods, a type of small crustacean.
- Juveniles and adults feed on crustaceans (mainly pink shrimp and krill) and fish (mainly cod, herring, and pollock).
- A variety of fish and marine mammals prey on arrowtooth flounder, including skates, sharks, shortspine thornyhead, halibut, orcas, other toothed whales, and harbor seals.
- In the Gulf of Alaska, arrowtooth flounder are an important part of the diet of Steller sea lions.
Where They Live
- Arrowtooth flounder are found from Northern California through the Bering Sea.
Management
- NOAA Fisheries and the North Pacific Fishery Management Council manage the arrowtooth flounder fishery in Alaska.
- Managed under the Gulf of Alaska and Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands Groundfish Fishery Management Plans:
- Arrowtooth flounder are included in these fishery management plans because of their importance to the ecosystem (it’s a very abundant flatfish and an important part of the food chain as both predator and prey).
- Commercial interest in arrowtooth flounder has grown in recent years.
- Limit on the total amount of arrowtooth flounder that can be harvested each year. Annual harvests have consistently been below this level.
- NOAA Fisheries and the Pacific Fishery Management Council manage the arrowtooth flounder fishery on the West Coast.
- Managed under the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan:
- Limits on the number of permits and fishermen allowed.
- Limits on the minimum size of fish that may be harvested.
- Limit on how much may be harvested in one fishing trip.
- Certain seasons and areas are closed to fishing.
- Gear restrictions help reduce bycatch and impacts on habitat.
- A trawl rationalization catch share program includes:
- Catch limits based on population information for each fish stock and divided into shares that are allocated to individual fishermen or groups.
- These fishermen can decide how and when to catch their share – preferably when weather, markets, and business conditions are most favorable, allowing the fishery the flexibility to be more environmentally responsible, safer, more efficient, and more valuable.
Featured News

Recreational Fishing Regulations
Commercial Fishing Regulations
Subsistence Fishing Regulations
Science Overview
Arrowtooth Flounder Research in Alaska

Arrowtooth flounder dorsal view.
Arrowtooth flounder is a relatively large flatfish and one of the most abundant fish in the Gulf of Alaska. It plays an important role in Alaska’s complex marine food chain. It feeds extensively on the commercially important walleye pollock. In turn, they are food for Alaska Steller sea lions, making up almost 35% of their diet.
Though the population can be found as far south as central California, it is known to spawn in Alaskan waters and the eastern Bering Sea from December through February.
A small commercial fishery operates off Kodiak Alaska targeting this fish.
We have been involved in a variety of research to learn more about its reproduction and early stages of development. We also have examined environmental influences, such as temperature on the growth and distribution of eggs and larval fish.
Research
- GUYON, J. R., HV. T. NGUYEN, C.M. GUTHRIE III, J. BONNEY, K. McGAULEY, K. HANSEN, and J. GAUVIN. 2015. Genetic stock composition analysis of Chinook salmon bycatch samples from the rockfish and arrowtooth flounder 2013 Gulf of Alaska trawl fisheries and the Gulf of Alaska salmon excluder device test. U.S. Dep. Commer., NOAA Tech. Memo. NMFS-AFSC-289.
- De FOREST, L., J. T. DUFFY-ANDERSON, R. A. HEINTZ, A. C. MATARESE, E. C. SIDDON, T. I. SMART, and I. B. SPIES. 2014. Taxonomy of the early life stages of arrowtooth flounder (Atheresthes stomias) and Kamchatka flounder (A. evermanni) in the eastern Bering Sea, with notes on distribution and condition. Deep-Sea Res. II 109:181-189.
- MARSH, J. M., N. HILLGRUBER, and R. J. FOY. 2012. Temporal and ontogenetic variability in trophic role of four groundfish species -- walleye pollock, Pacific cod, arrowtooth flounder, and Pacific halibut -- around Kodiak Island in the Gulf of Alaska. Trans. Am. Fish. Soc. 141:468-486.
- STARK, J. W. 2012. Female maturity, reproductive potential, relative distribution, and growth compared between arrowtooth flounder (Atheresthes stomias) and Kamchatka flounder (A. evermanni) indicating concerns for management. J. Appl. Ichthyol. 28: 226–230.
- Can Temperature-dependent Egg Development Affect Connectivity Between Spawning Areas and Nursery Grounds for Arrowtooth Flounder (Atheresthes stomias) in the Gulf of Alaska? By: WILLIAM STOCKHAUSEN, DEBORAH BLOOD, KENNETH COYLE. Conference: Alaska Marine Science Symposium, Anchorage, AK, Jan 2015.
- Energy Allocation of Young of the Year Arrowtooth Flounder in the Gulf of Alaska - a Different Strategy? By: CASEY DEBENHAM. Conference: International Flatfish Symposium (9th), Cle Elum, WA, Nov 2014.
Contact
- Ingrid Spies, Status of Stocks and Multispecies Assessments
More Information
Recent Science Blogs
Documents
2018 Status of Alaska Marine Ecosystems Considerations - Eastern Bering Sea Report in Brief
The eastern Bering Sea was characterized by anomalously warm conditions in 2018. Over the northern…
Finding of No Significant Impact for a Regulatory Amendment to Revise The Maximum Retainable Amounts of Groundfish Using Arrowtooth Flounder and Kamchatka Flounder as Basis Species and Separate Management of Kamchatka Flounder in the BSAI
Revision to the maximum retainable amounts for groundfish using arrowtooth flounder and Kamchatka…
EA/RIR/FRFA for a Proposed Regulatory Amendment to Implement the Fishery Management Plan for the Groundfish Fishery of the BSAI to Revise the Maximum Retainable Amounts of Groundfish in the Arrowtooth Flounder Fishery
Analysis to evaluate the environmental impacts, costs and benefits, and small entity impacts of a…
Environmental Assessment/Regulatory Impact Review/Final Regulatory Flexibility Analysis for a Regulatory Amendment to Revise the Maximum Retainable Amounts of Groundfish in the Arrowtooth Flounder Fishery: Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska Management Plan
Maximum retainable amounts of selected groundfish in the arrowtooth flounder fishery in the Gulf of…
Data & Maps
2020 Assessment of the arrowtooth flounder stock in the Gulf of Alaska
The scheduled frequency for some stock assessments was recently changed in response to the National…
2020 Gulf of Alaska Ecosystem Status Report: In Brief
Conditions in the Gulf of Alaska were close to average in 2020...
2020 Eastern Bering Sea Ecosystem Status Report: In Brief
Considerable cooling began in late December 2019 and allowed for rapid build-up of sea ice,…
2020 Aleutian Islands Ecosystem Status Report: In Brief
Throughout the Aleutian Islands, sea surface temperatures have been warmer than average since 2013,…