Aquaculture America 2026

February 16 - 19, 2026

Las Vegas, Nevada

Add To Calendar 18/02/2026 10:45:0018/02/2026 11:05:00America/Los_AngelesAquaculture America 2026SOUTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES SOUTHERN FLOUNDER STOCK ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM 10 YEAR STRATEGIC PLANBurgundyThe World Aquaculture Societyjohnc@was.orgfalseDD/MM/YYYYanrl65yqlzh3g1q0dme13067

SOUTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES SOUTHERN FLOUNDER STOCK ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM 10 YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN

Haley L. Lasco*, Jason Broach, Aaron Watson, Tanya Darden, River Bryant, Justin Yost, Matt Walker, Jackie Allen, Rich Harrington

SCDNR

217 Fort Johnson Rd.

Charleston, SC

29412

lascoh@dnr.sc.gov

 



Southern Flounder, Paralichthys lethostigma, is a highly valued marine finfish and a key species in both recreational and commercial fisheries throughout the southeastern United States. Population assessments, however, indicate a decline in regional stocks in South Carolina and surrounding waters since the early 1990s, driven by factors such as overfishing and environmental changes (Figure 1). This decline has prompted new management practices, including intervention through stock enhancement. The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) is uniquely positioned to lead this effort, leveraging over three decades of successful stock enhancement experience with several marine finfish species. The SCDNR has therefore initiated a new stock enhancement program for Southern Flounder, adhering to the responsible approach guidelines outlined by Lorenzen et al. (2010). A successful stock enhancement program, however, requires overcoming recognized challenges associated with intensive larval culture and release of southern flounder. To address these hurdles systematically, the SCDNR has created a ten-year strategic plan focused on optimizing broodstock management, spawning induction protocols, larval grow out techniques, development of genetic tools, and release strategies. This presentation will provide an overview of this plan and summarize current progress across several critical areas, including development of genetic tools to characterize wild flounder populations and create a broodstock parentage analyses, broodstock collection, and experiments to optimize spawning induction and larval culture techniques.