Striped bass 

Striped bass
Striped bass
Striped bass
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Moronidae
Genus: Morone
Species: M. saxatilis
Binomial name
Morone saxatilis
(Walbaum, 1792)

The striped bass (Morone saxatilis, also called rock or rockfish) is the state fish of Maryland, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and the state Saltwater (marine) fish of New York.

Contents

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

Natural distribution

Striped bass are found along the Atlantic as well as Pacific coastlines 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.234 Striped bass have also been introduced into waters in Ecuador, Iran, Latvia, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, and Turkey primarily for sport fishing and aquaculture.5

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.6

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.7

Life cycle

Illustration of a group of striped bass

Striped bass spawn 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 Elephant Butte Lake in New Mexico, Lake Ouachita, Lake Norfork, Beaver Lake and Lake Hamilton in Arkansas Lake Murray, Lake Powell, Lake Havasu; and in California, Castaic Lake, Pyramid Lake, Silverwood Lake, and Diamond Valley Lake; Lake Pleasant, Lake Texoma, Lake Cumberland, Reelfoot Lake, 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.8

Hybrids with other bass

Striped bass have also been hybridized with white bass to produce hybrid striped bass also known as sunshine bass, palmetto bass, or wiper with the white perch to produce white perch hybrid also known as 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.910

Fishing for striped bass

Main article: Striped bass fishing
 This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims.
Please improve the article by adding references. See the talk page for details. (November 2008)
Striped bass caught in the Atlantic Ocean off the New Jersey coast.

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, 1982.11 In the fall, the striped bass are in the rivers feeding on smaller fish like herring. You can see these herring jumping out of the water when being attacked by Striped Bass and there is occasonally seagulls diving down at the breaking herring. This is a good chance for fishermen to cast Rat-L-Traps and use Jigging Spoons. When the fish are breaking live lining may not be the best tactic because you have to pull up your baitfish and anchor, place all of your baitfish in separate buckets, and by the time you have finished all of this, the breaking fish may be gone and you have reduced the life of your baitfish. Live bait really cant be beat, but it is a lot of trouble, and is confusing because you could reel in your baitfish thinking you have a fish. Spot fight very hard and sometimes you really don't know if you have a fish. But eventually you will start to figure it out.

References

  1. ^ "Morone saxatilis". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. March 2007 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2007.
  2. ^ Striped Bass Management Plan retrieved on 10 June 2007.
  3. ^ Pennysylvania State Fish & Boat Commission, Gallery of Pennsylvania Fishes, Chapter 21. Retrieved 10 June 2007.
  4. ^ Indiana Fish and Wildlife, Evaluation of Striped Bass Stockings at Harden Reservoir. Retrieved 10 June 2007.
  5. ^ "Morone saxatilis". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. March 2007 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2007.
  6. ^ Kaiser Engineers, California, Final Report to the State of California, San Francisco Bay-Delta Water Quality Control Program, State of California, Sacramento, CA (1969)
  7. ^ "Office of the Press Secretary" (October 20, 2007"). "["http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/10/20071020-4.html" "Executive Order: Protection of Striped Bass and Red Drum Fish Populations"]". Press release. Retrieved on "October 21, 2007".
  8. ^ Chesapeake Pay Program, Striped Bass
  9. ^ Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Status of the Striped Bass/Hybrid Bass Bass Fishery March 2006 retrieved 10 June 2007.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife

External links

Striped bass at the Open Directory Project