Southern flounder will be released in SC estuaries for first time. Here’s where
Hatchery-grown southern flounder will be released by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources into state estuaries for the first time on Friday, March 13.
SCDNR is releasing nearly 10,000 45-day-old post-metamorphosis flounder (about 1 inch) at Friday’s event that takes place at 1 p.m. at the Murrells Inlet Boat Launch, SCDNR spokesperson Cheyenne Twilley said. Throughout the year the agency will release different sizes, including two-day-old larvae, 20-day-old pre-metamorphosis juveniles (about 0.2 inches) and the post-metamorphosis juveniles.
This year’s production season includes nearly 1 million larvae, 33,000 pre-metamorphosis juveniles and 45,000 post-metamorphosis juveniles, Twilley said.
Southern flounder reach maturity in two to three years. The success of the release will be evaluated by assessing their contribution to the wild population when they reach one to two years old using SCDNR’s genetic-based identification tool, Twilley said.
Why southern flounder populations are low
A South Carolina bill passed in 2021 created new fishing regulations for southern flounder and gave life to the Southern Flounder Stock Enhancement Program designed to revitalize the species’ population.
A portion of each saltwater fishing license fee collected since July 2021 has funded the development of the stocking program. The program is part of SCDNR’s larger Marine Stock Enhancement Program that also works with species like red drum, spotted seatrout and cobia.
The bill came after a 2019 study discovered southern flounder populations were at historically low levels. Previous regulations required a minimum length of 15 inches with 10 fish per person per day, and 20 fish per boat per day. The bill changed the catch to be a minimum of 16 inches long, with a limit of five fish per person per day, and 10 fish per boat per day.
“Our (fishing) regulations were archaic for too long of a time, and we were killing them before they ever had a chance to mature and spawn,” Dan Connolly, owner of Capt Dan’s Fishing Company in Murrells Inlet, said by text. “They are making a strong comeback though after a few years of our new regulations.”
A 2021 study, funded by the Louisiana Sea Grant College Program, found overfishing contributed only partly to the population decline. Warming sea temperatures could have an effect.
“We document that water temperatures in the same space and time where southern flounder sexually determine are warmer now than even a decade ago,” the study said.
Southern flounder can develop as males if water temperature is higher during a certain stage of development, the study found. Fewer female flounder are able to reproduce, and they are typically larger, which could have skewed what sex was kept per fishing regulations.
This story was originally published March 13, 2026 at 5:00 AM.