Striped Bass Survey Shows Healthy Population Growth (Maryland Dept. of Natural Resources, 10/17/17)
Oct
20
Written by:
10/20/2017 7:12 AM
Striped Bass Survey Shows Healthy Population Growth
October 16, 2017
Annual Young-of-Year Survey Tracks Spawning of State
Fish
Results of the Maryland Department of
Natural Resources 2017
young-of-year striped bass survey in the Chesapeake Bay shows the fish is
reproducing in strong numbers. The annual survey’s index is 13.2, above the
64-year average of 11.7.
Striped bass,
popularly known as rockfish, is Maryland’s state fish. The fish spawns in the
Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries each spring. The survey is conducted
annually to track the reproductive success of this important species and help
predict future abundance. The index represents the average number of
young-of-year striped bass – those less than 1 year old – captured in 132
samples.
“Strong reproduction
in three of the past seven years is an encouraging sign for the coastal
population and future fishing opportunities,” Fishing and Boating Services
Director Dave Blazer said.
During this year’s
survey, department biologists collected more than 33,000 fish of 62 species,
including 1,741 young-of-year striped bass. The most productive area surveyed
for rockfish was the upper Chesapeake Bay, their largest spawning area.
Results of this
year’s survey also showed high white perch reproduction in the upper bay and
Nanticoke River. Additionally, the survey found American shad reproduction was
above average, primarily due to its success in the Potomac River.
The department has
monitored the reproductive success of striped bass and other species in
Maryland’s portion of the Chesapeake Bay annually since 1954, making it
one of the oldest biological surveys. Twenty-two survey sites are located in
the four major spawning systems: Choptank, Potomac and Nanticoke rivers and the
upper bay. Biologists visit each site three times during the summer, collecting
fish with two sweeps of a 100-foot beach seine.
More information on
the juvenile striped bass program is available online.