142 
Fishery Bulletin 112(2-3) 
Conclusions 
Our study revealed major changes in the movements 
and associated distribution of a fish stock as it recov- 
ered from a depleted state. During the early phases 
of rebuilding, the stock was largely confined to its na- 
tal estuary but dramatically expanded its distribution, 
and degree of anadromy, as recovery continued. This 
major shift in distribution was due to changes in the 
demographics — namely size structure and total abun- 
dance — of the stock as it recovered. Size structure has 
received little attention in the fisheries literature in 
regard to its effects on stock distribution but appears 
to be important. 
Although the recovery of Striped Bass often is re- 
garded as one of the few success stories in fisheries 
management (Richards and Rago, 1999), many global 
fish stocks are either currently experiencing rebuilding 
or have recently recovered, for example, nearly one- 
third of the 166 stocks examined worldwide by Worm 
et al. (2009). It is possible that the spatial dynamics 
of these and other rebuilding stocks will differ from 
their depleted state. For instance, as stocks recover 
and more individuals are allowed to reach larger sizes 
(e.g., through a reduction in fishing mortality; Berke- 
ley et al., 2004), the spatial distribution of stocks may 
shift or expand because larger, older fish often have 
different migratory behaviors and habitat preferences 
than smaller, younger individuals (Heifetz and Fujioka, 
1991; Macpherson and Duarte, 1991; Shepherd et al., 
2006; Griiss et al., 2011). Such changes in the move- 
ment and distribution of fish populations can have im- 
portant consequences for stock assessments, as argued 
previously, and also affect ecosystem dynamics (e.g., 
as predators move into new areas, they can exert top- 
down changes in community structure; Casini et al., 
2012). Therefore, resource managers should be aware of 
potential changes in the movement and distribution of 
recovering fish stocks and account for them accordingly 
if they manifest. As indicated in our study, long-term 
tagging and monitoring data are useful for detection of 
population-level changes in the movement and distri- 
bution of fishes. 
Acknowledgments 
We thank the many individuals from the NCDMF and 
North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission who 
collected and tagged Striped Bass and also compiled 
and processed tag return data. We also are grateful to 
the many fishermen who provided tag return informa- 
tion. Analyses for this study were completed while J. 
Callihan was a Marine Fisheries Management Fellow 
supported by NCDMF (Coastal Recreational Fisheries 
License fund award no. 3210) and North Carolina Sea 
Grant award E/GS-6. The manuscript was improved by 
comments from J. Harris, J. Finn, R McGrath, and R. 
Laney. 
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