By HEATHER RUPPE
One of South Carolina’s most sought-after fish is now threatened, with historically-low levels being recorded by state officials. However, efforts being made by state biologists are now helping to see the Southern Flounder make a comeback.
Earlier this year, in May of 2021, state lawmakers funded the development of a program that would stock young flounder in all waterways in South Carolina. This was because of historically-low numbers being recorded in the Palmetto State. The stocking efforts, which raises young fish and then releases them into the wild, are starting to pay off, according to officials with the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (S.C. DNR).
In addition to funding the stocking programs, lawmakers also increased some saltwater license fees. According to S.C. DNR officials, a portion of these funds is supporting the new flounder stocking program.
“SCDNR biologists have pioneered and refined the agency’s flagship red drum stocking program over three decades, during which time they’ve have released over 30 million young red drum into state estuaries.Flounder, however, are a trickier fish,” according to an SC DNR press release.
According to Marine Biologist Dr. Aaron Watson, flounder have a shorter life that makes it more challenging for them to grow.
"There have been multiple universities and facilities over the last 20-30 years that have worked off and on with southern flounder," said Watson, who will be part of S.C. DNR team traveling to Texas this month to study flounder. "We're excited to visit facilities that are in current production and learn from folks that have had to deal with and overcome many of the challenges we know we will face here in South Carolina,” he said.
The team has also coordinated with collaborators from North Carolina to Florida to begin collecting genetic samples from flounder across the region, as well as developing genetic tools that will later allow biologists to monitor the effectiveness of the stocking program.
Lastly, biologists have begun the exciting work of catching and studying the adult flounder, or broodstock, that will eventually be used to spawn and produce young flounder for stocking.
"While producing southern flounder at a scale for stock enhancement represents a significant challenge, we're excited about the opportunities this program presents to improve upon protocols and expand our stock enhancement footprint in the state,” Dr. Watson said.
