Organism Fact Sheet

Common Name: Striped Bass/Rockfish

Scientific Name: Morone Saxitilus
Description:
Maximum size range: 6 feet
Male size range: 5-35 inches

Female size range: 5-45 inches

Maximum age range: up to 30 years old

stripes

Coloring: Silvery-brown with dark horizontal

Describe shape/fins: Streamlined, silver body with dark horizontal stripes, white belly, dark forked
tail, notch in dorsal fin
Habitat and Distribution:
Preferred Salinity range: 10-15 ppt
Preferred Temperature range: 10-16 C
Preferred Bottom type (muddy, sandy, or rocky): Sand or rocky seafloor/ riverbed
Describe Habitat (location in water column, type of marine habitat, plant cover, etc.): Coastal water
and freshwater/brackish rivers and lakes, deep clear water
Distribution (where they are found in the U.S.): Along the Atlantic coastline from the Lawrence
River to the Gulf of Mexico/Louisiana
Behavior and Reproduction:
Behavior: What do they eat? Striped bass eat a variety of small fish and invertebrates, worms, squid,
menhaden, anchovies, and crustaceans.
Who eats them? Sharks, larger fish, and fish-eating birds like osprey
Interactions with other animals (aggressive/docile): Competitive feeding behavior, schooling, feed
and hunt mostly at night
Reproduction: Reproductive age 3 to 5 years old; how often do they reproduce? Every spring
once a year
When? April to June in spring; Number of individuals produced 500,000 to 3 million eggs
Life Cycle
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Adult bass travel from oceans to rivers to spawn

Females lay eggs near shore
Eggs hatch in 2-3 days, larvae moves downstream and adults return to ocean
Juvenile bass spend first 2 years in river
Fish die after 10 to 30 years

Population and Threats:

Current population status: 8 million Historic population: <1 million in the 1980s
Is the population declining or increasing? Increasing
Explain: Population of striped bass is at its highest level in decades
Threats to the population (overfishing, pollution, habitat losslist and describe):
1. Prevalence of disease
2. Nutrient pollution
3. Dead zones, need high levels of Dissolved Oxygen (DO)
4. No longer overfished, was threatened during the 1970s 1980s by overfishing
Whats being done to protect the population (listed, protected, restoration of habitat):
1. Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Striped Bass
2. Striped Bass Conservation Act of 1984
3. Two-fish per bag limit per day for recreational fishing
Three Interesting Facts:
1. The striped bass/rockfish is Marylands state fish
2. 70-90% of the Atlantic striped bass uses the bay to spawn
3. The oldest recorded striped bass was 31 years old
Bibliography:
1. Chesapeake Bay Program (2012) Striped Bass. Retrieved October 9, 2014
2. Wittenberg, J. (2011) Morone Saxatilis. Retrieved October 9, 2014
Nick Stommel