BERGGREN and LIEBERMAN: RELATIVE CONTRIBUTION OF STRIPED BASS 



tributaries also support near-zero estimates of 

 Hudson River contribution in waters off North 

 Carolina. 



Comparison between iterative and adjusted es- 

 timates indicated close agreement for each stock 

 within the 35 strata. The largest difference be- 

 tween estimates was 12.2 percentage points, but 

 differences of <5 percentage points occurred in 

 809c of the strata for the Hudson stock, 71% of the 

 strata for the Chesapeake stock, and 869r of the 

 strata for the Roanoke stock. The adjusted esti- 

 mates therefore substantiate low iterative esti- 

 mates of contribution of Hudson and Roanoke 

 stocks. 



Comparison of mean iterative and adjusted es- 

 timates of relative contribution indicated that the 

 two estimates differed by <1 percentage point for 

 each stock. Mean iterative and adjusted estimates 

 were, respectively, 6.5 and 6.6^^ Hudson, 90.8 and 

 90.2*7^ Chesapeake, and 2.7 and 3.2% Roanoke 

 contribution. 



The contribution of the Hudson stock to the 

 coastal fishery was greater in strata adjacent to 

 the Hudson River than in the remaining strata. 

 Mean iterative estimates of relative contribution 

 of the Hudson River stock to inner and outer zones 

 were 16.0% (15.0% adjusted) and 2.8% (0.0% ad- 



TabLE 6. — Mean estimates' of relative contribution of Hudson, 

 Chesapeake, and Roanoke stocks of legal-sized striped bass^ to 

 1975 oceanic collections within- USNRC zones.^ 



'Average of five temporal strata since only one striped bass collected in inner 

 zone during period 1 (Jan. -Feb. ). 



^Not included are striped bass <406.5 mm FL from New York waters. 



^U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission inner zone corresponds to study 

 strata 5,7, and 8- 1 : the outer zone corresponds to study strata 1 to 4, 6. 8-2, and 

 8-3. 



justed), respectively, for the year (Table 6). Al- 

 though the Chesapeake stock was the predomi- 

 nant contributor to both inner and outer zones, the 

 contribution of the Hudson stock exceeded that of 

 the Roanoke stock in the inner zone but was less in 

 the outer zone. 



The Hudson stock predominated in collections of 

 sublegal-sized striped bass in western Long Island 

 Sound, the New York Bight, and in collections of 

 specimens overwintering in Croton Bay on the 

 Hudson River (Table 7). Iterative (and adjusted) 

 estimates of the percentage of sublegal-sized fish 

 classified into the Hudson stock in western Long 

 Island Sound (primarily in Little Neck Bay) and 

 the New York Bight were at least 80% , but were 

 less than 40% along the southeastern shore of 

 Long Island (stratum 6) from May through Oc- 

 tober. The iterative (and adjusted) estimated of 

 contribution of the Hudson stock to the overwin- 

 tering population in the Hudson River was greater 

 than 95% . 



This study has provided additional information 

 in the importance of dominant year classes of 

 striped bass. Approximately 52% of the specimens 

 collected from the coastal fishery in 1975 were 

 from the 1970 year class, and 77% of them were 

 classified as Chesapeake fish. Schaefer (1972) 

 stated that production of young-of-the-year 

 striped bass in Chesapeake Bay during 1970 was 

 the largest ever recorded and that this year class 

 should provide excellent fishing in New York wa- 

 ters for 6 to 8 yr after recruitment. The presence of 

 this dominant year class of Chesapeake fish 

 confirms the rationale used by Merriman (1941) 

 and Schaefer (1968) to conclude that the 

 Chesapeake stock predominates in the coastal 

 fishery. A summary of the occurrence of dominant 

 year classes in the Atlantic coastal fishery has 

 been given by Schaefer (1968). 



Table 7.— Estimates of relative contribution of Hudson, Chesapeake, and Roanoke stocks of sublegal-sized striped bass' to 

 New York waters by period and spatial stratum and of legal-sized striped bass to the overwintering population in the Hudson 

 River. As-cl. = as-classified, Inter, = iterative, and Adj. = adjusted estimates. 



'Striped bass <406.5 mm FL from New York waters. 



^Sample sizes of five specimens or less in any stratum are not included. Three sublegal-sized specimens collected ovenwintering in the Hudson River 

 were classified as Hudson fish. 



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