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Striped Bass Index of Abundance

Pile of Striped Bass
Striped Bass Striped Bass are found throughout Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries year-round. This area is the primary spawning location for Striped Bass along the Mid-Atlantic coast. In the Chesapeake Bay region, Striped Bass are anadromous, migrating from marine to freshwater areas to spawn.
Larval Striped Bass on the sorting table
Juvenile Striped Bass Striped Bass spawn from April through May, and the juveniles often appear in Juvenile Finfish Trawl Survey catches from May to July. These juvenile Striped Bass are only about 25 millimeters (1 inch) long.
An adult Striped Bass caught on the Juvenile Finfish Trawl Survey
Adult Striped Bass The Juvenile Finfish Trawl Survey typically does not catch many large Striped Bass because they are able to swim faster than the trawl gear. This 835 millimeter (33 inch) individual was caught in the James River in March of 2008.
Juvenile Striped Bass and White Perch specimens laid on the sorting table, for visual comparison
Striped Bass vs White Perch Juvenile Striped Bass and juvenile White Perch look very similar. In this photo, the top fish is a Striped Bass and the bottom fish is a White Perch. Both fish are approximately 40 millimeters (1.5 inches) in length.

Striped Bass young-of-year index of abundance figure. The graph shows Striped Bass young-of-year annual indices of abundance from upper river sampling sites from 1988 to 2023.

About the data

This species first recruits to the survey gear in May. Only upper river sampling stations are used to calculate the index of abundance. The index is for young-of-year fish, using data collected during December, January, and February following spawning.

The young-of-year cutoff values are as follows (index months are listed in bold):
  • May: 0-50 mm.
  • June: 0-80 mm.
  • July: 0-100 mm.
  • August: 0-120 mm.
  • September: 0-135 mm.
  • October: 0-150 mm.
  • November: 0-175 mm.
  • December: 0-190 mm.
  • January: 0-200 mm.
  • February: 0-200 mm.
  • March: 0-200 mm.
  • April: 0-200 mm.

Data collected after the transition to a new vessel and net in June 2015 have been adjusted by a species-specific calibration factor.

Striped Bass Excel file (Microsoft Excel download)

For more information on how this species is managed please visit the ASMFC website.