FISHERY BULLETIN: VOL. 76, NO. 2 



Estimates of Stock Contribution for 

 Oceanic and Overwintering Collections 



Iterative estimates of relative contribution of 

 Hudson, Chesapeake, and Roanoke stocks indi- 

 cated that the Chesapeake stock was the major 

 contributor to the striped bass fishery along the 

 Atlantic coast while the Hudson and Roanoke 

 stocks were minor contributors (Table 5). The 

 Chesapeake stock predominated in 34 of 35 geo- 

 gi-aphical and temporal strata while the Hudson 

 stock predominated in the remaining stratum. 

 Iterative estimates of Chesapeake contribution to 

 the fishery exceeded SO'^ in all strata not adjacent 

 to the Hudson River. Iterative estimates of the 

 Hudson stock were largest in western Long Island 

 Sound and the New York Bight with values ex- 

 ceeding 20*7^ during some periods. Although itera- 

 tive estimates of Roanoke stock contribution 

 never exceeded 20^7^, they were highest in North 

 Carolina waters (stratum 10) and in strata from 

 Massachusetts to Maine (strata 1, 2). 



The Hudson stock contribution in strata from 

 Massachusetts north to Maine and from New Jer- 

 sey south to North Carolina (strata 8 to 10) should 

 be low as indicated by iterative estimates (Table 5) 

 and results of tagging studies. Zero estimates in 

 northern waters do not necessarily indicate an 

 absence of Hudson River striped bass since the 

 simulation study has shown that such estimates 

 may be obtained in situations where true con- 

 tribution is low. In fact, data on adult striped bass 

 tagged in the Hudson River during spawning sea- 

 son and recaptured in waters as far north as Bos- 

 ton Harbor, Mass., have indicated a northern mi- 

 gration of a portion of the Hudson stock (Texas 

 Instruments see footnote 4). However, these data 

 support near-zero estimates of Hudson contribu- 

 tion in southern waters since tagged striped bass 

 were not recaptured south of northern New Jer- 

 sey. Data (Chapoton and Sykes 1961) on adult 

 striped bass tagged along the outer coast of North 

 Carolina and recaptured on the spawning grounds 

 of Chesapeake Bay and Albemarle Sound 



Table 5. — Estimates of relative contribution of Hudson, Chesapeake, and Roanoke stocks of legal-sized 

 striped bass' to 1975 oceanic collections by period and spatial strata. As-cl. = As-classified, Iter. = 

 Iterative, and Adj. = Adjusted estimates. 



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