Starry Flounder Identification Guide

Key identification features

• Body eye side is variable, occurring as both right-eyed and left-eyed individuals in the same population, unusual among flatfish
• Bold alternating black and orange (or yellow) bands running across the dorsal and anal fins, the fish's most diagnostic feature
• Dark greenish-brown to blackish upper body scattered with small, rough, star-shaped (stellate) scales
• Pale, unmarked underside
• Relatively small mouth and a somewhat diamond-shaped body outline
• Typically 30-45 cm, occasionally larger

Common look-alikes

• Other North Pacific flounders (e.g., C-O sole, rock sole) – lack the vivid black-and-orange banded fin pattern that starry flounder shows clearly.
• Winter flounder analogs on the Pacific coast – generally have plain, unbanded fins, making starry flounder's fin coloration an easy distinguishing feature.

Where you'll see one

Starry flounder inhabit coastal waters, bays, and estuaries of the North Pacific, ranging from California north through Alaska and across to Japan and Russia. They tolerate brackish and even freshwater conditions, often venturing well up rivers and into low-salinity habitats.