The boom and bust cycle of winter flounder landings by commercial fishermen has “busted” after a peak in 1982. With the scarcity, price per pound had been climbing until the fishery was closed in 2007. No landings have been recorded since then.
According to NOAA’s FishWatch program,
Heavy fishing pressure and habitat destruction caused winter flounder stocks to drastically decline. Strict fishing regulations are now in place, but it’s estimated that it could take more than a decade for winter flounder to regain its earlier abundance off of the East Coast.
The Southern New England/Mid-Atlantic winter flounder stock is at an all-time low. Recent scientific data indicate that previous assessments significantly overestimated the abundance of this stock, leading managers to believe that it was healthier than it actually was. Managers immediately responded to this new information, prohibiting harvest of Southern New England winter flounder in all fisheries.*
Winter Flounder Landings 1950-2011
Winter Flounder Price per Pound 1950-2011
| YEAR | WHOLE POUNDS | VALUE | PRICE/LB |
| 1950 | 1,592,900 | $74,344 | $0.05 |
| 1951 | 2,295,600 | $184,931 | $0.08 |
| 1952 | 1,425,600 | $119,441 | $0.08 |
| 1953 | 1,026,900 | $75,123 | $0.07 |
| 1954 | 1,193,100 | $93,560 | $0.08 |
| 1955 | 935,800 | $67,423 | $0.07 |
| 1956 | 508,300 | $32,373 | $0.06 |
| 1957 | 694,400 | $41,018 | $0.06 |
| 1958 | 487,700 | $26,648 | $0.05 |
| 1959 | 342,300 | $19,043 | $0.06 |
| 1960 | 365,900 | $23,009 | $0.06 |
| 1961 | 158,600 | $7,368 | $0.05 |
| 1962 | 74,600 | $4,183 | $0.06 |
| 1963 | 49,800 | $2,822 | $0.06 |
| 1964 | 76,578 | $3,853 | $0.05 |
| 1965 | 113,142 | $6,388 | $0.06 |
| 1966 | 96,201 | $5,199 | $0.05 |
| 1967 | 103,119 | $5,980 | $0.06 |
| 1968 | 60,000 | $3,358 | $0.06 |
| 1969 | 95,766 | $6,836 | $0.07 |
| 1970 | 301,033 | $21,314 | $0.07 |
| 1971 | 146,780 | $11,726 | $0.08 |
| 1972 | 281,781 | $38,317 | $0.14 |
| 1973 | 209,914 | $33,353 | $0.16 |
| 1974 | 239,769 | $44,821 | $0.19 |
| 1975 | 531,962 | $125,799 | $0.24 |
| 1976 | 388,016 | $107,670 | $0.28 |
| 1977 | 427,640 | $123,889 | $0.29 |
| 1978 | 722,865 | $263,170 | $0.36 |
| 1979 | 985,664 | $312,219 | $0.32 |
| 1980 | 1,248,822 | $387,422 | $0.31 |
| 1981 | 1,474,293 | $535,981 | $0.36 |
| 1982 | 1,979,543 | $692,792 | $0.35 |
| 1983 | 1,493,995 | $496,350 | $0.33 |
| 1984 | 948,747 | $405,479 | $0.43 |
| 1985 | 733,384 | $418,926 | $0.57 |
| 1986 | 648,922 | $512,498 | $0.79 |
| 1987 | 536,593 | $606,045 | $1.13 |
| 1988 | 617,248 | $664,965 | $1.08 |
| 1989 | 518,292 | $585,650 | $1.13 |
| 1990 | 361,636 | $341,216 | $0.94 |
| 1991 | 367,539 | $373,026 | $1.01 |
| 1992 | 268,549 | $282,693 | $1.05 |
| 1993 | 127,378 | $126,857 | $1.00 |
| 1994 | 80,670 | $98,524 | $1.22 |
| 1995 | 51,994 | $64,894 | $1.25 |
| 1996 | 16,595 | $18,707 | $1.13 |
| 1997 | 46,004 | $48,421 | $1.05 |
| 1998 | 10,364 | $10,658 | $1.03 |
| 1999 | 9,798 | $9,812 | $1.00 |
| 2000 | 32,854 | $35,700 | $1.09 |
| 2001 | |||
| 2002 | |||
| 2003 | 114,071 | $122,479 | $1.07 |
| 2004 | 52,347 | $56,613 | $1.08 |
| 2005 | 44,968 | $63,987 | $1.42 |
| 2006 | 73,212 | $128,020 | $1.77 |
| 2007 | |||
| 2008 | |||
| 2009 | |||
| 2010 | |||
| 2011 |
Source: http://www.maine.gov/dmr/commercial-fishing/landings/documents/winterflounder.table.pdf (accessed February 6, 2018)
*http://www.fishwatch.gov/seafood_profiles/species/flounder/species_pages/winter_flounder.htm (accessed 9/27/12)