Our Beloved Striped Bass-Morone saxatilis

The striped bass is a large predatory fish with dark stripes running across its metallic body. (D Ross Robertson/LifeDesks). Also known as the rockfish or striper, the striped bass is a large predatory fish with dark stripes running across its metallic sides. It lives throughout the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries year-round.

​Appearance: On average, adult striped bass grow 2 to 3 feet in length and weigh between 10 to 30 pounds, although they can reach a length of six feet and weigh as much as 125 pounds. Their elongated body varies in color from light or olive green to blue, brown or black , and their metallic sides are striped with seven or eight dark, continuous lines. Their belly is white. They have a dark, forked tail fin and three spines on their anal fin. A deep notch appears on their dorsal fin, and the first part of the dorsal fin has several spines. 

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Habitat: Live in various habitats throughout the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries, moving upstream in spring to spawn in fresh water. Spend summer and winter in deep channels.

​Range: Found throughout the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries year-round. After spawning in the spring, the Bay striped bass stock moves to coastal waters. Most spend the summer along the New England coast, and the fall and winter off of North Carolina. On the Atlantic coast, striped bass range from Canada to Florida, but are most prevalent from Maine to North Carolina. 

Feeding: Stripted bass feed on a variety of small fish and invertebrates, including worms, squid, menhaden, anchovies and crustaceans.

Predators: Predators include sharks, larger fish and fish-eating birds like ospreys.

Reproduction and Life Cycle:The striped bass is considered to be semi-anadromous fish; most do not travel all the way from the ocean to their spawning grounds in freshwater rivers. Spawning occurs from April to early June in the Chesapeake Bay's tidal tributaries. During spawning season, several males court a single female, who lays her eggs in fresh or brackish water near the shore. After spawning, adults swim downstream to the Bay, and some continue on to the ocean. Eggs hatch in two to three days, after which larvae move slowly downstream. Juveniles live in the shallows of tidal rivers throughout the summer. Most spend their first two years of life in the river in which they were born. Striped bass live 10 to 30 years. 
Other Facts:

• The striped bass is Maryland's state fish, and one of the most popular commercial and recreational catches in the Chesapeake Bay. 
• The Bay is the largest striped bass nursery area on the Atlantic coast. Seventy to 90 percent of the Atlantic striped bass population uses the Bay to spawn.
• The oldest recorded striped bass was 31 years old. The largest recorded striped bass was 125 pounds, caught on the North Carolina coast in 1891.
• The Bay's record striped bass was caught in 1995 off Bloody Point, just south of Kent Island, Maryland. It weighed 67.5 pounds.

Sources and Additional Information:

• Learn the Issues: Striped Bass by Chesapeake Bay Program 
• Life in the Chesapeake Bay by Alice Jane Lippson and Robert L. Lippson
• Fishes of Chesapeake Bay by Edward O. Murdy, Ray S. Birdsong and John A. Musick
• Maryland Fish Facts: Striped Bass – Maryland Department of Natural Resources
• Striped Bass – Gulf of Maine Research Institute

SOURCE: http://www.chesapeakebay.net/fieldguide/critter/striped_bass
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