848 
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES 
The striped bass has shown, by its remarkable reproduction in California and its 
recent increase in Chesapeake Bay, that it has the ability to establish itself as an 
important aquatic resource in favorable environments within a short period of time. 
However, unless the fishery strain on the stock of fish in most eastern waters is eased 
appreciably by adequately restricted fishing, it is feared that only the past glories of 
this superb food and game fish will remain for future generations to contemplate. 
Nevertheless, with vigorous and w T ell-considered conservation measures adopted, the 
striped bass can be expected to increase to some degree of its former abundance and 
assure the future of the “boldest, bravest, strongest, and most active fish that occurs 
the year round in our American coastal waters.” 
SUMMARY 
The striped bass, or rockfish, occurs over an extended coastal range along the 
Atlantic and Pacific coasts of the United States. This fish is also found in small 
numbers in streams tributary to the Gulf of Mexico from St. Marks, Fla., to Lake 
Pontchartrain, La. 
The species is taken most abundantly at the present time in the fresh and brackish 
waters of Chesapeake Bay, Albemarle Sound, and San Francisco Bay. 
The spaw nin g grounds are located in coastal rivers, apparently characterized by 
strong rapids and rock-strewn bottoms, and the spawning season extends from late 
April to early June in most areas. 
Sexual maturity, accompanied by spawning, is attained by most male fish at the 
end of the third year and at a minimum length of about 10 inches. Female fish 
mature at the end of the fourth year and at a minimum length of about 19 inches. 
The eggs of the striped bass are semibuoyant, spherical, and measure about 1.3 
millimeters in diameter at fertilization, increasing to about 3.5 millimeters within 12 
hours. The eggs hatch in 48 hours at about 65° and in about 36 hours at 71° F. The 
yolk is absorbed and the young begin feeding by 240 hours after fertilization of the egg. 
The average length of the striped bass is 4 inches at the end of the first year; 10 
inches at the end of the second year; 15 inches at the end of the third year; and 18.5 
inches at the end of the fourth year. 
The food of the species is largely fishes and crustaceans. 
The striped bass show coastal, seasonal, and spawning movements. Coastal 
movements are widespread but are probably regulated by the population density of 
fish in natural centers of abundance. Seasonal movements consist of a summer 
movement of fish into more open water with better feeding grounds and a winter 
movement into deep river channels for a semihibernation period. Spawning migration 
occurs in the spring of the year when the striped bass move up favorable rivers from 
the sea or estuarine areas. 
A marking experiment in upper Chesapeake Bay in 1931 showed purely local 
movements within the upper bay over a 2-year period with a 29.1 percent recapture 
of marked fish. 
The fishery for striped bass has shown a general decline over the greater part of 
its range despite a more intensive fishing effort. Restrictive fishing regulations appear 
to offer suitable means for increasing the stock of fish appreciably. 
