Striped
Bass
(From the Division of Marine Fisheries)
The striped bass, or "striper," one of the most avidly pursued
of all coastal sport fish, is native to most of the East Coast, ranging
from the lower St. Lawrence River in Canada to Northern Florida, and
along portions of the Gulf of Mexico. The striped bass has been prized
in Massachusetts since colonial times. In 1670, Plymouth Colony
established a free school with income from coastal striped bass
fisheries. Thus, one of the first public schools in America was
supported by this highly valued resource.
Striped bass can live up to 40 years and can reach weights greater than
100 pounds, although individuals larger than 50 pounds are rare.
Stripers are strictly spring to fall transients in Massachusetts. Only
a few fish inhabiting coastal Massachusetts waters in the summer have
been known to overwinter in the mouths of southern New England streams.
The recent extremely prolonged period of reproductive failure had
caused a steady decline in striped bass abundance. The decline was
reflected in decreasing success by anglers. For example, the estimated
catch by anglers from the Gulf of Maine to the mid-Atlantic region fell
from 6,600,000 pounds in 1979 to 1,700,000 pounds in 1985. The
decline in abundance of stripers coming from the Chesapeake Bay was
felt to be caused by a combination of factors, including the presence
of a variety of pollutants in spawning grounds, fishing pressure, and
feeding and nutritional problems of larvae.
