The species has a high rate of reproduction, and coupled with the minimal threat from fishing means that it is abundant along the entire North American coast.

[1] The main difference between the Speckled sanddab and the English sole lies in their mouth and jaw structures, which also causes them to have slightly varied diets.

[6] The morphology of the Speckled sanddab is thought to have originated from one common ancestor as a part of a monophyletic group, but the development of the same-side eye placement has been contested over time.

[9] The Speckled sanddab may be one of the more resilient flatfish species, as one study conducted in 2017 exposed it to varying levels of CO₂ and assessed their responses accordingly.

[4] It eats small crustaceans, polychaetes, bivalve siphons, copopods, mysids, caprellids, cumaceans, shrimp, crab and other smaller fish.

In the 1980s, sanddabs experienced increased parasitism, infection and mortality rates, due to factors like water temperature fluctuation, pollution and human interference.

In 2020, the International Union for Conservation of Nature declared it as ‘Least Concern’ status as it is both not endangered, harmless to humans, and only minorly used for commercial purposes.

[6] Although the species in itself is not necessarily endangered, biogeographical shifts to the coastline are occurring due to climate change, which may alter the composition of habitats like estuaries and bays.

As these coastal shifts continue to occur, the Speckled sanddab may struggle to find sufficient nursing grounds for development and protection, putting the population at risk.