Striped Bass
(Morone Saxatilis)
Life History
Striped bass are anadromous - life begins in freshwater streams and rivers, but most of their adult life is spent in the ocean.Mature males begin their spawning runs in the spring when the water temperature warms up. Females follow and when they arrive they usually spawn with several males. The semi-buoyant eggs are deposited directly into the water and are fertilized by milt (sperm) ejected from the males. This is a crucial period for young stripers because the water flow needs to be strong enough and the river length long enough to keep them suspended for 2 to 3 days before they hatch. If not, they settle to the river bottom where silt would smother them. After hatching, larval striped bass get nutrients from the yolk sac for 5 days. This is the period when larvae are particularly vulnerable to pollution, starvation, and predators. If they survive all the dangers, females begin to migrate to the ocean after about 3 years. The males tend to hang around the estuary longer. It takes 5 to 7 years before females make the journey back to their birthplace for the first time. It takes several years of spawning before the females become fully productive. According to the National Fish & Wildlife Service, an average 6 year old female produces 500,000 eggs while a 15 year old produces 3 million eggs. The Chesapeake Bay is where most Atlantic striped bass spawn, but other productive areas include the Hudson River in New York and Roanoke River in North Carolina.
Location: Whole coast surf, inshore bars, reefs, tide-rips, bays and estuaries.
Season: Mid April-October