Monterey Bay Aquarium
super green list seafood no-brainers
Alaska flounder & Sole
Link to Monterey Bay ALASKA FLOUNDER & SOLE
What are they?
Shaped like haphazard pancakes, flounder and sole are flatfishes. They carry both their eyes on one side of their head and lie flat on the seafloor, blending in seamlessly with the bottom habitats they call home. They swim horizontally, too, moving with the grace of a finned Belgian waffle. These fish, which include species like arrowtooth flounder, yellowfin sole, and flathead sole, are an important part of ocean food webs. They chow down on prey like crabs, krill, and small fish and in turn provide food for larger predators like Pacific cod, sharks, orcas, seals, and sea lions.
Flounder and sole shine with nutritional benefits for humans, too. They’re a top notch source of protein and are low in mercury. These fish have a delicate, slightly sweet flavor and a tender, flaky texture. Whether starring in fish tacos, panko-crusted fish sliders, or fragrant curries, flounder and sole are versatile whitefish that work well with a variety of global flavors and preparations. They’re also hailed by chefs as a forgiving fish because you can’t go wrong preparing them. When you choose a flounder or sole from Alaska, you can also be confident you’re getting a sustainable seafood as well.
Good for you
The nutritional benefits of flounder and sole are anything but flat.
With over 12 grams per serving, Alaska flounder and sole are a great source of lean protein, essential for muscle repair and body strength.
They aid in heart health. Flounder and sole have low saturated fat levels and good amounts of the long-chain omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA, which help protect against cardiovascular disease.
They promote strong bones. Flounder and sole are good sources of phosphorus and vitamin D, important nutrients for maintaining strong bones and teeth. A serving provides 20 percent of your daily phosphorus needs and 14 percent of the Daily Value of vitamin D.
They power healthy thyroid and metabolism. One serving of these Super Green List fish provide nearly half the Daily Value of selenium, an essential mineral that plays an important role in healthy thyroid and metabolism function.
They boost vitamin B-12. You can meet nearly half of your daily B-12 needs with a serving of flounder or sole, supporting nerve function, DNA production, and red blood cell formation.
Good for the planet
There are several different species of flounder and sole. We recommend any species of Alaska flounder and sole either certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) or rated green by Seafood Watch. (See our sustainable flounder, plaice, and sole guide for more information on specific species.) Flounder and sole populations in Alaska are generally healthy and well-managed. Laws and programs are in place to keep stocks abundant and to close harvest seasons once the catch quota is met.
As the name might suggest, groundfish like flounder and sole are usually found and harvested close to the seafloor, so habitat destruction from fishing gear like bottom trawls can be a big concern. Bottom trawls are cone-shaped nets that are pulled along the seafloor. This heavy gear can damage sensitive habitats, and these nets can also accidently pick up a lot of bycatch, which is the catch of unwanted species, along the way.
Luckily, there are ways to reduce or even prevent these negative impacts. Managers use closed areas to minimize damage to particularly sensitive or important areas. Where trawling does occur, it’s usually in less sensitive habitats. For example, arrowtooth flounder is found in sandier sections of the ocean floor. Bottom trawls affect sandy areas less than other habitats, so it’s usually fairly low-impact to fish for arrowtooth flounder on this type of substrate.
In Alaska, trawling for flatfish can also mean picking up other bottom-dwelling animals like crabs, salmon, and halibut, but fishing gear modifications help reduce this bycatch. In the central Gulf of Alaska and Bering Sea, fishers use Bering Sea flatfish gear, which was created collaboratively by scientists and fishers. This gear modification raises up the sweep — the angular ropes jutting out from the front of the trawl that herd fish into the net. This reduces contact with the seafloor by 90 percent, minimizing both bycatch and impact to habitat, according to MSC.