120 MARINE FISHERIES OF NORTH CAROLINA 



STRIPED BASS 



RoccMS saxatilis (Walbaum) 



The striped bass (also known as ''rock" or "rockfish") is found along the 

 Atlantic coast from the Gulf of St. Lawrence southward. Jordan and Ever- 

 mann (1896-1900) report it on the western coast of Florida (Gulf of 

 Mexico), Bean (1884) records it from Mississippi, and Gowanloch (1933) 

 mentions it in "Fishes and Fishing in Louisiana." However, Merriman 

 (1941) states that although it occurs from Florida to the Gulf of St. Law- 

 rence, it is most common from North Carolina to Massachusetts. In 1945, of 

 a total commercial production of 5,624,000 pounds, 65 per cent was produced 

 in the Chesapeake states. It was introduced (135 fish in 1879 and 300 in 

 1882) on the Pacific coast and supports a commercial fishery there which 

 yielded 250,000 pounds in 1945. 



This fish appears to be a coastal form, for it is rarely taken more than a 

 few miles offshore. The species is anadromous, living in salt water but 

 spawning in fresh water, and it is therefore taken in both inside and outside 

 waters. It is sought by both commercial and sport fishermen. One of the most 

 notable sport fisheries occurs each spring in the Roanoke River at Weldon, 

 North Carolina, over a hundred miles inland from the river's mouth. 



An investigation of the striped bass was undertaken by the Connecticut 

 State Board of Fisheries and Game in 1936. Since the species is migratory, 

 it soon became evident that the investigation should be extended over an 

 area larger than a single state. This extension was made possible by the 

 financial support of the American Wildlife Institute and the United States 

 Bureau of Fisheries. The investigation was concluded in 1938 and reported 

 on by Merriman (1941). Much of the information given in this review is 

 taken from Merriman's study, and in all the references to Merriman below, 

 his 1 94 1 paper is to be understood. 



The striped bass spawns all along the Atlantic coast in the spring, the exact 

 time depending on latitude and water temperature. According to Smith 

 (1907) spawning in North Carolina occurs in late April and early May. The 

 spawning activities are well known to fishermen who have witnessed the 

 "rock-fights," in which a single large female and a number of smaller males 

 rise to the surface and vigorously splash about, creating a commotion which 

 can be heard for several hundred feet. Whether these fights are part of the 

 actual spawning act or merely a form of courting is not known. 



The sex ratio of spawning striped bass is estimated to be 10 to 50 males 

 for each female. Merriman took a sample of 127 fish at Weldon in the spring 

 of 1938, and found only six of them to be females. Spawning males are con- 

 siderably smaller than females. Worth (1903) states that the males weigh 

 from one to three pounds whereas the females weigh from four to fifty 

 pounds. This size difference is due to the difference in age at which the two 



