Preliminary results from an ongoing long-term survey conducted by researchers at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) suggest an average class of young-of-the-year striped bass was produced in Virginia tributaries of Chesapeake Bay in 2014. Striped bass from the 2014 year class will grow to fishable sizes in 3 to 4 years.
The program, formally known as the Juvenile Striped Bass Seine Survey, recorded slightly more than 11 fish per seine haul, which is statistically equivalent to the historic average of about 9 fish per seine haul. This year represents the second consecutive year of average annual recruitment for striped bass in Virginia waters of Chesapeake Bay.
The Juvenile Striped Bass Seine Survey provides an important measure of annual and long-term trends in the Bay’s striped bass population. The survey currently samples 18 stations in the Rappahannock, York, and James River watersheds. Biologists sample each site five times from early July through mid-September of each year.
For more information about the Virginia Juvenile Striped Bass survey visit the survey’s webpage at http://www.vims.edu/research/departments/fisheries/programs/juvenile_striped_bass/index.php
Information about a similar survey conducted by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources for striped bass populations in the Maryland portion of Chesapeake Bay can be found at http://news.maryland.gov/dnr/2014/10/15/striped-bass-survey-reveals-healthy-2014-reproduction-2/
source: Virginia Institute of Marine Science