PREDICTING ABUNDANCE OF STRIPED BASS, MORONE SAXATILIS, 

 IN NEW YORK WATERS FROM MODAL LENGTHS * 



Herbert M. Austin^ and Clarence R. Hickey, Jr.^ 



ABSTRACT 



The abundance of cohorts for any given year class of striped bass, Morone saxatilis, prior to their 

 leaving Chesapeake Bay is inversely related to the modal length offish in that year class 2 yr later in 

 New York waters. The modal length of bass in their third year migrating into the New York area is a 

 reliable index of the abundance of that year class. When back extrapolated modal lengths at the end of 

 the second year of life are considered for the dominant year classes in the New York fishery (ages 

 ni-VI), a high degree of inverse correlation is found between age II and modal length and reported 

 landings suggesting that this is an effective method of predicting the abundance of the stock for the 

 fishery. 



In discussing natural fluctuations in fish popula- 

 tions, Royce (1972) posed the question, "... can 

 we forecast their occurrence to take maximum 

 advantage of periods of high abundance and pro- 

 tect populations during periods of scarcity?" This 

 question is pertinent to the striped bass, Morone 

 saxatilis, stocks of the Atlantic coast of the United 

 States. The Atlantic coast commercial catch of this 

 species, while following a pattern of fluctuations, 

 has been in an upward trend in recent years, ap- 

 parently as a result of an increasing abundance of 

 fish (Koo 1970; McHugh 1972). This increasing 

 abundance has been reflected by an increased 

 commercial harvest in the State of New York. 

 Concurrently, although not as well documented, is 

 an increase in the number of recreational fisher- 

 men utilizing the resource. Both phenomena 

 necessitate the gathering of management infor- 

 mation while the resource is still in good condi- 

 tion. 



Most ( >807c ) of the New York commercial har- 

 vest of striped bass occurs in the waters of eastern 

 Suffolk County (Figure 1) where the major 

 fisheries are primarily with haul seine and pound 

 net. Fish taken in this region are predominantly of 

 Chesapeake Bay origin (Neville et al. 1939; Alper- 

 in 1966; Schaefer 1968, 1972; Koo 1970; Austin 



CONNECTICUT 



ATLANTIC OCEAN 



Figure l. — Location of Long Island, N.Y., and the southeastern 

 tip near Montauk Point where striped bass were collected during 

 1972 and 1974. 



and Custer 1977; Austin and Hickey;'* Texas In- 

 struments, Inc.^). 



This study was designed as one phase of a pro- 

 gram to tag and monitor "short" or prerecruit 

 striped bass (less than the legal, 406-mm New 

 York State limit). As stated by Talbot ( 1966), little 

 is known of these fish outside of their nursery 

 areas. Monitoring of these fish, then, permits 

 study of the next year's catch, a segment of the 

 striped bass population often overlooked in fishery 

 investigations. 



Prerecruit striped bass in New York waters of 

 eastern Long Island are predominantly 2- and 



■New York Ocean Science Laboratory, Contribution No. 82. 

 Funded by a grant to the New York Ocean Science Laboratory 

 from the State of New York, Project No. BR74-17F. 



^Division of Fisheries Sciences and Services, Virginia Insti- 

 tute of Marine Science, Gloucester Point, VA 23062. 



^Environmental Specialists Branch, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 

 Commission, Washington, DC 20555. 



Manuscript accepted September 1977. 

 FISHERY BULLETIN: VOL. 76, NO. 2, 1978. 



■» Austin, H. M., and C. R. Hickey, Jr. 1974, Migration and 

 mortality of striped bass tagged in eastern Long Island, p. 11- 

 16. Proc, Am. Littoral Soc./N.Y. Ocean Sci. Lab. Fish Tag 

 Seminar, Dec. 1974, Montauk, N.Y. 



^Texas Instruments, Inc. 1976. Report on relative con- 

 tribution of Hudson River striped bass to the Atlantic coastal 

 fishery. Unpubl. rep., 110 p. Texas Instruments, Inc., Dallas, 

 Tex. 



467 



