STRIPED BASS

The 'striped bass' ''Morone saxatilis'' is a member of the temperate bass family native to North America but widely introduced elsewhere.^[1][1] Among the other names used for this species are striper, striped sea-bass, rock, and rockfish.^[3] The striped bass is the state fish of Maryland and the state freshwater fish of New York.

Contents

Morphology and lifespan

Distribution

Environmental factors

Life cycle

Fishing for striped bass

References

External links

Morphology and lifespan

The striped bass is a typical member of the Moronidae family in shape, having a streamlined, silvery body marked with longitudinal dark stripes running from behind the gills to the base of the tail. Maximum size is 200 cm (6.6 ft) and maximum scientifically recorded weight 57 kg (125 US pounds). Striped bass are believed to live for up to 30 years.^[1]

Distribution

Striped bass are found along the Atlantic coastline of North America from the St. Lawrence River into the Gulf of Mexico to approximately Louisiana. They are anadromous fish that migrate between fresh and salt water. Spawning takes place in freshwater. They have been introduced to a number of other waters outside their natural range, including Ecuador, Iran, Latvia, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, and Turkey primarily for use as gamefish and in aquaculture.^[1]
In many of the large reservoir impoundments across the United States, striped bass have been introduced by state game and fish commissions for the purposes of recreational fishing and as a predator to control populations of gizzard shad.^[6][7][8]
The town of Kingston, Oklahoma near Lake Texoma styles itself the "Striper Capital of the World" and holds an annual Striper Festival.

Environmental factors

The spawning success of striped bass has been studied in the San Francisco Bay-Delta water system, with a finding that high total dissolved solids (TDS) reduce spawning. At levels as low as 200 mg/L TDS there is an observable diminution of spawning productivity.^[9]

Life cycle

Striped bass breed in freshwater and spend their adult lives in saltwater (i.e., it is anadromous). They can also live exclusively in freshwater and currently flourish in inland water bodies such as Lake Murray, Lake Powell, Lake Havasu, Lake Texoma and Lake Mead. For saltwater striped bass, four important bodies of water with breeding stocks of striped bass are: Chesapeake Bay, Massachusetts Bay/Cape Cod, Hudson River and Delaware River. There are many smaller breeding areas that contribute to the overall striped bass population such as the Takanasse Lake. It is believed that many of the rivers and tributaries that emptied into the Atlantic, had at one time, breeding stock of striped bass. One of the largest breeding areas is the Chesapeake Bay, where populations from Chesapeake and Delaware bays have intermingled.^[10]
==Hybrids with other bass==
Striped bass have also been hybridized with white bass to produce 'sunshine bass', 'palmetto bass', or 'wiper'; white perch to produce 'Virginia bass' or 'Maryland bass'; and yellow bass to produce 'paradise bass'. These hybrids have been stocked in many freshwater areas across the U.S.^[11][12]

Fishing for striped bass

Striped bass are of significant value as sport fishing, and have been introduced to many waterways outside their natural range. A variety of angling methods are used, including trolling and surfcasting. The largest striped bass ever caught by angling was a 35.6 kg (78.5 lb) specimen taken in Atlantic City, New Jersey on September 21, 1982. ^[13]

References

1.
2.
3. Common Names List for Morone saxatilis
4.
5.
6. Striped Bass Management Plan retrieved on 10 June 2007.
7. Pennysylvania State Fish & Boat Commission, Gallery of Pennsylvania Fishes, Chapter 21. Retrieved 10 June 2007.
8. Indiana Fish and Wildlife, Evaluation of Striped Bass Stockings at Harden Reservoir. Retrieved 10 June 2007.
9. Kaiser Engineers, California, ''Final Report to the State of California, San Francisco Bay-Delta Water Quality Control Program'', State of California, Sacramento, CA (1969)
10. Chesapeake Pay Program, ''Striped Bass''
11. Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Status of the Striped Bass/Hybrid Bass Bass Fishery March 2006 retrieved 10 June 2007.
12. http://www.fish.state.pa.us/pafish/fishhtms/chap21.htm#hybrdbs Pennysylvania State Fish & Boat Commission, Gallery of Pennsylvania Fishes, Chapter 21.] Retrieved 10 June 2007.
13. New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife

External links