Striped Bass

To find current Maryland striped bass seasons click here to visit the Maryland DNR website

what is it

The number one species caught recreationally in the country

Striped bass (Morone saxatilis) is a long-lived, anadromous species, which means they return from the ocean to a freshwater river annually to spawn. Striped bass are one of the most sought-after fish on the Atlantic coast – a highly prized game fish with a large following of avid anglers, and a  many number of regionally specific names like striper, rockfish, bass, linesider, cow(s), schoolies…etc. According to the latest NOAA Fisheries data, striped bass are the number one species caught recreationally in the country (in pounds).

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Striped bass are managed from Maine to North Carolina by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission(ASMFC) under the guidance of the Atlantic Striped Bass Conservation Act and Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Management Act.   Adult striped bass live in the ocean for most of the year, spending the summer generally off the New England coastline and the winter off the Mid –Atlantic. The adults migrate up their natal river in the spring to spawn.  After spawning, the young migrate to the estuary at the mouth of the natal river and spend several years there. They begin migrating to the ocean to join the adult stock at about age 5 and are mostly gone from the bays and estuaries by age 7.  This coastal stock moves up the Atlantic coast in the summer and back south during the winter.

Management agencies use juvenile index or Young of Year(YOY) surveys to track spawning success, and recruitment from year to year, and periods of both low and high recruitment are the norm. Conditions have to be near perfect for stripers to have a successful spawn and generate an above-average year class, which is why they have evolved to live 25-plus years – to withstand several years of below average recruitment. This coastal stock is subject to intense fishing pressure as it moves up and down the Atlantic coast, right next to the most populous coastal areas in the country.

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where things stand

Status of striped bass: Overfished but not Overfishing

According to the most recent coast-wide stock assessment update, striped bass remain overfished, and the Striped Bass Board has implemented emergency measures to reduce fishing mortality in 2023 based on 2022 data. 

In late 2023, the Striped Bass Board received news of a 5th straight year of poor juvenile abundance in the surveys that take place throughout the Bay to help define spawning success, or how many fish in a particular year class may be available to the fishery in the future.

The Striped Bass Board is planning action in 2024 through Addendum II to the Striped Bass Management Plan, and will receive updated stock assessment results late in 2024.  

Draft Addendum II is open for public comment through Dec. 22nd.  Click below to Speak up for Stripers and find out more in our Anglers Guide

 

Recent News about Striped Bass

Changes Being Considered by Striped Bass Board

New Striped Bass Regulations Aimed at Addressing Conservation Concerns

Disappointing News on Striped Bass Spawning

Past, Present & Future of Striped Bass: A Chesapeake Perspective

Commission takes action on striped bass

Sportfishing Coalition Input on Draft Amendment 7 for Striped Bass

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