STUDIES ON THE STRIPED BASS OF THE ATLANTIC COAST 



65 



in the winter often become dormant and inactive. The evidence is strong that the 

 maximum tolerance limit for the species is 25°-26° C, which is about as high a temper- 

 ature as coastal waters ever reach in the North and Middle Atlantic. Coastal migra- 

 tions are not undertaken by bass less than 2 years old. Tagging experiments conducted 

 in North Carolina in the springs of 1937 and 1938 tend to show that bass from this 

 region contribute directly only a small percentage to the population summering in 

 northern waters. 



(9) The available evidence from general observation and scale analysis points 

 to the conclusion that the dominant 1934 year-class originated chiefly in the latitude 

 of Chesapeake and Delaware Bays, and confirms the results of the tagging experiments 

 in North Carolina in the springs of 1937 and 1938 mentioned above. 



(10) Stomach-content analyses on over 550 striped bass from northern waters, 

 and on over 100 individuals from the south, show that bass are general in their choice 

 of food — a large variety of fishes and Crustacea forming the most common diet. 



(11) Various nematodes and copepods have been found parasitic on the striped 

 bass, and a number of trematodes, cestodes, and acanthocephalans have also been 

 listed by other authors. Glochidia were found on small juveniles from the western 

 end of Albemarle Sound. Several of the parasites listed constitute new host records. 

 None of these parasites are of any great consequence to the general well-being of the 

 striped bass population. A high percentage of bass in the Thames River, Conn., 

 were found to have bilateral cataract. It is suggested that this is the result of a dietary 

 deficiency. 



(12) The decline in abundance of the striped bass of the Atlantic coast over long- 

 term periods and its causes are discussed, and it is pointed out that the present prac- 

 tice of taking such a large proportion of the 2-year-olds annually is apparently not an 

 efficient utilization of the supply, and that both the fishery and the stock should 

 benefit by protecting this species until it is 3 years old, at which time it is approxi- 

 mately 41 cm. (16 inches) long to the fork of the tail and weighs \% to 2 pounds. The 

 adoption of such experimental measures designed to protect striped bass up to the 

 time they become 3 years old should result in a greater profit for the commercial 

 fishermen, an increased supply of larger fish for the sportsmen, and an added number 

 of individuals that reach maturity, some of winch may possibly spawn in northern 

 waters and thus replenish the stocks in theso areas where in many instances the 

 populations have been exhausted. The need for further studies on the striped bass is 

 emphasized in order that the results of the recommendation, if adopted, may be 

 traced, so that suitable revision of the size limit may be made if the results indicate 

 that modifications would be desirable, and in order to amplify the results of the present 

 investigation. 



Table 3. — Record of striped bass taken by members of Cultyhunk Club, Cuttyhunk, Mass., 1865-1907 



Note.— See fig. 3. 

 277589 — 41- 



