Historical Ecology of Striped Bass Stocking in the Southeastern United States

Abstract

Striped bass (Morone saxatilis) is the most recreationally and commercially important non-salmonid fish species in the continental United States. As such, it has been exploited to the point of collapse at various points throughout our Nation's history. The population crash of the 1980s made both fishers and fishery scientists aware of its sensitivity to overfishing and habitat degradation, joining two disparate groups in a common cause with a common goal--recovery. Fishing moratoriums, habitat restoration, and intensive stocking efforts were utilized throughout the 1980s and 1990s in order to restore the severely depleted stocks of America's favorite fish. Research conducted during this study focused on the states of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida at both the state and Federal level. Roanoke River/Albemarle Sound striped bass have been stocked throughout the United States, particularly within the study area. This population has been artificially propagated since 1879 with the number of fry and fingerlings stocked numbering in the billions. The discovery of a self-sustaining land-locked population in the Santee-Cooper Reservoir renewed interest in this game fish, spawning hatchery production in Virginia, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida as well as other states. Like the Roanoke River/Albemarle Sound population, the Santee-Cooper population has been heavily stocked throughout the study area, creating a potential loss of genetic integrity. Our awareness of the effects of cross-stocking different strains of striped bass has grown over the last 30 years and it is necessary to determine what the historical stocking record has been so that we might better manage future stockings with an eye to restoring native strains where they have been previously depleted or extirpated. Genetic work by other researchers has been hindered due to a lack of knowledge regarding the number and strength of the strains stocked. This study is an attempt to rectify that unfortunate imbalance.