• Bay 101
• Bay History
• The Bay Ecosystem
• Field Guide
• The Bay Watershed
• Bay FAQ
• Bay Glossary
• Bay Fun

Striped Bass

Morone saxatilis

Striped bass, or rockfish, is a large, predatory fish with dark stripes across its silvery sides. It lives year-round throughout the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries.

Appearance:

• Elongated body
• Varies in color from light or olive green to blue, brown or black
• White belly
• 7-8 dark, continuous stripes across its silvery sides
• Dark, forked tail fin
• Deep notch in the dorsal fin. The first part of the dorsal fin has several spines.
• Three spines on the anal fin
• Usually grows to about 20 inches long and weighs about 30 pounds, but some can be as long as 6 feet and weigh as much as 125 pounds

Habitat:

• Lives in various habitats throughout the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries
• Moves upstream in spring to spawn in fresh water
• Spends summer and winter in deep channels
• Often found in the lower reaches of rivers in autumn

Range:

• Found year-round throughout the Bay and its tributaries
• After spawning in spring, migratory striped bass leave the Bay for northern coastal waters
• In late autumn and early winter, migratory striped bass move to warmer, southern coastal waters

Feeding:

• Preys upon a variety of small fish and invertebrates, including worms, squid, menhaden, anchovies and crustaceans

Predators:

• Predators include sharks, larger fish and fish-eating birds such as ospreys
• Humans catch striped bass for commercial and recreational purposes

Reproduction and Life Cycle:

• Considered to be semi-anadromous because most do not travel all the way from the ocean to their spawning grounds in freshwater rivers
• Spawns from April-early June in the Bay’s tidal tributaries
• Several males court a single female, who lays her eggs in fresh or brackish water near the shore
• After spawning, adults swim back downstream to the Bay. Some will continue on to the ocean.
• After hatching within 2-3 days, larvae move slowly downstream as they grow
• Juveniles live in the shallows of tidal rivers throughout the summer. Most juveniles spend their first two years in the river where they were born.
• The Chesapeake Bay is the largest striped bass nursery area on the Atlantic coast. Seventy to 90 percent of the Atlantic striped bass population uses the Bay to spawn.
• Can live 10-30 years. The oldest recorded striped bass was 31 years old.

Other Facts:

• More commonly known as rockfish or stripers
• Maryland’s state fish
• A close relative of white perch
• One of the most popular and important recreational species in the Bay
• The Chesapeake Bay record striped bass was caught in 1995 off Bloody Point, just south of Kent Island, Maryland. It weighed 67.5 pounds.

Sources and Additional Information:

• Fishes of Chesapeake Bay by Edward O. Murdy, Ray S. Birdsong and John A. Musick
• Life in the Chesapeake Bay by Alice Jane Lippson and Robert L. Lippson
• Fish Facts: Striped Bass – Maryland Department of Natural Resources
• Striped Bass – Gulf of Maine Research Institute