Everything about the Striped Bass totally explained
The
striped bass (also called rock or rockfish) is the
state fish of
Maryland,
Rhode Island,
South Carolina, and the state Saltwater (marine) fish of
New York.
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.
Distribution
Natural 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.
Introductions outside their natural range
Striped bass have been
introduced into many of the large
reservoir impoundments across the United States by state game and fish commissions for the purposes of recreational fishing and as a predator to control populations of
gizzard shad. Striped bass have also been introduced into waters in
Ecuador,
Iran,
Latvia,
Mexico,
Russia,
South Africa, and
Turkey primarily for
sport fishing and
aquaculture.
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's an observable diminution of spawning productivity.
President of the United States George W. Bush in an
Executive Order on October 20, 2007 designated the Striped Bass as a protected game fish. This prohibits sale of Striped Bass caught in Federal waters and encourages states to consider designating Striped Bass as a protected game fish within state waters.
Life cycle
Striped bass spawn in freshwater and spend their adult lives in saltwater (for example, it's
anadromous). They can also live exclusively in freshwater and currently flourish in inland water bodies such as Lake Ouachita, Lake Norfork, Beaver Lake and Lake Hamilton in Arkansas
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.The Arkansas river contains a successful spawning population of Striped Bass and 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.
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.
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. Striped bass will take a number of live and fresh baits including bunker, clams, sandworms, bloodworms, and mackerel. 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.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Striped Bass'.
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