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BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES 
N. J. It is well to remember, however, that many anadromous fishes often appear to 
be near spawning on entering tidal estuaries from the sea but that actual spawning 
probably does not occur until fresh water is reached. 
Many larvae of the striped bass were taken by Leim (1924) during the summers 
of 1922 and 1923 in the Shubenacadie River, Nova Scotia. The young were taken 
in plankton near the head of the tidal zone. 
SPAWNING SEASON 
The spawning season of the striped bass has generally been recognized to occur in 
the spring and early summer months. Ripe fish have been noted in the rivers of New 
Brunswick about the middle of June ; in Delaware and New York Bays about the middle 
of May; in the Roanoke River during May; in the Alabama River in April; and in 
upper San Francisco Bay principally during May . 6 
Ripe fish were taken by Worth (1884 b) at Weldon, N. C., from April 19 to May 
17, 1883, at a water temperature rising from 58° to 71° F. This observer also recorded 
the spawning period at Weldon during 1904, as extending from May 2 to May 24. 
During hatchery operations at Weldon, in 1931, the first ripe female fish was secured 
on May 5 and the last on May 21. Water temperatures at the hatchery, supplied 
by filtered and underground piped city water from the Roanoke River, gradually 
increased from 61° to 71° F. During hatchery operations at the same point, in 1937, 
ripe females were taken from about May 7 to May 22. 
The eggs of the striped bass were taken in river plankton in the lower Susque- 
hanna River, Md., from May 16 to June 8, 1931. These eggs were secured during the 
early half of the night and were probably only a few hours spawned. Water temper- 
atures in the river increased from 60° to 70° F. during the period of egg collection. 
SIZE AND AGE AT MATURITY 
The weights of 19 female striped bass, taken and stripped for eggs at Weldon, 
N. C., were recorded by Worth (1904). Three females ranged between 3 and 7 
pounds, seven from 10 to 18 pounds, four from 23 to 35 pounds, and five from 40 to 
70 pounds. The approximate lengths of these ripe fish would have ranged from 20 
in. (50.8 cm) to over 4 ft., according to a length-weight correlation given by Scofield 
(1932). 
It appears, on the basis of considerable data collected by Scofield (1931) for 
California striped bass, that 35 percent of the female fish mature and spawn by their 
fourth year at an average length of 50 cm (19.7 in.), 87 percent by their fifth year at 
an average length of 54 cm (21.2 in.), 98 percent by their sixth year at an average length 
of 61 cm (24 in.), and 100 percent by their seventh year. It was observed that many 
male striped bass mature and spawn in their third year while all are mature by their 
fifth year. 
Ripe male striped bass, 12-18 in. (30.5-45.7 cm) in length, were taken in the 
Potomac River, Md., late in April 1875, by Milner (1876). 
Length measurements were obtained of 70 mature male and 29 egg-bearing female 
striped bass taken by commercial fishing gear near the entrance to the Susquehanna 
River, Chesapeake Bay, during April and May 1932. The lengths of the male fish 
ranged from 33-78 cm (13-30.7 in.) with an average length of 40-45 cm (15.7-17.7 
in.). Most males were approximately 3 years old. The lengths of the female fish 
« Adams (1873); Mease (1815); Holton (1874); Bean (1884); Smith (1895); and Scofield (1931). 
