Yellowtail flounders are found along the east coast of North America. Their range begins in Newfoundland and Labrador and stretches south to Chesapeake Bay. In Canada, yellowtails occur mostly along the continental shelf in the Grand Banks and the Georges Bank. They are usually found at depths of about 40-70 metres, rarely at more than 100 metres.

Yellowtail flounder is a species of Atlantic flatfish. They are flat and ovate in shape, with a small, upturned mouth and eyes on the upper side of their body. They have a lateral line running across their body that arches after their gill opening. Their tail fin is rounded and, like their name implies, yellow. Yellowtails are good at camouflaging themselves, and their body coloration varies according to that of the ocean bottom. They are usually olive-brown mottled with reddish blotches on their upper side and yellowish-white on their lower side. They grow to 38-40 centimetres and 0.5-0.6 kilograms. In Canadian waters, some yellowtail flounders as old as 12 have been caught, but they rarely make it past 10 years.