Mather et al.: Use of non-natal estuaries by migratory Morone saxatilis in summer 
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70°0’0” W 70°p'0" W 70°0’0" W 
0 75 150 300 450 600 
Figure 3 
Seasonal recapture locations for all striped bass (Morone saxatilis) tagged in 1999 and 2000 in Mas- 
sachusetts estuaries (n = 198). Recaptures for 1999-2007 were plotted for (A) November, (B) Decem- 
ber-February, (C) March-April. Because of symbol overlay, not all points are visible. ME = Maine, 
MA=Massachusetts, CT/RI = Connecticut and Rhode Island, HU=Hudson River (a spawning location), 
NJ = New Jersey, DE = Delaware River (a spawning location), CB = Chesapeake Bay (a spawning location). 
All years were combined. Numbers in all panels in Figure 3 and 4 sum to the total number of fish for 
which release and recapture locations (n = 198) were available. Months are grouped to illustrate seasonal 
distributional patterns of striped bass. Fish were recaptured by angling. The map projection is Albers 
Equal Area Conic, NAD (North American Datum), 1983. 
Bay (Figs. 3 and 4; ?i = 198), indicating that striped 
bass tagged in Massachusetts were migratory fish. 
Without exception, striped bass recaptured in the late 
fall, winter, and early spring (November-April) were 
recaptured south of where they were initially tagged and 
released (Fig. 3, A-C). In November (end of migration), 
December-February (winter), and March-April (begin- 
ning of migration), with two exceptions, all recaptures 
occurred south of Massachusetts. For the two exceptions 
still in Massachusetts waters, the fish were recaptured 
south of where they were released. Most recaptures were 
made in the spring and summer when the sport fishery 
was most active (Fig. 4, A and B). In May and June, 
recaptures for all years were distributed throughout 
the migratory range of striped bass from New Jersey to 
Maine (Fig. 4A). During July, August, and September, 
most tagged fish, across all years, were recaptured in 
Massachusetts (Fig. 4B). In October, during the fall 
migration, striped bass were captured both within and 
south of Massachusetts (Fig. 4C). Fish recaptured in 
Massachusetts in October were caught south of the 
location where they were released. 
Of the fish that were recaptured in the summer of 
the year they were tagged (n- 41, tag to recapture 
<104 days), most stayed where they were tagged. For 
example, 77% (17 of 22) of the striped bass recaptured 
in the Great Marsh in the first summer were released 
there (Table 1). The Merrimack River, the northern- 
most river in the Great Marsh, appeared to attract 
striped bass with 9% of the recaptures made there 
even though this estuary was not a release site. All 
first summer recaptures were taken along the Mas- 
sachusetts coast (Table 1). No striped bass tagged 
in Massachusetts were recaptured in any other New 
England state (ME, NH, RI, CT) in the first summer 
after tagging (Table 1). 
