After the eggs have been laid by the female flounder, larvae take four to five days to hatch when reared in controlled conditions, at 15 °C, in the laboratory. The embryo has a small yolk which feeds the larva as it drifts with the tide from a pelagic environment, towards the shallow and sheltered mud/sand flats along the coastline. Because the yolk cannot sustain the larva for very long, adult flounder try to breed in areas that are as close to the coastline as possible, whilst maintaining the right conditions for spawning. This reduces the amount of time that the larva spends feeding itself when drifting with the tides and ensures that the maximum number of offspring reach the inshore waters.