Species: Morone saxatilis

Striped Bass

Species

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Fishes of Puget Sound and adjacent waters

Encyclopedia of Puget Sound

Striped basses are deep bodied and compressed from side to side. They have two dorsal fins, the first with several spines and the second with one spine and several rays. The anal fin has 3 spines. The mouth is large, and there are two sharp points on each gill cover. The silvery sides are marked with 6-9 dark gray stripes. Very small young lack the dark stripes but have dusky bars on the sides. Maximum length is about 79 inches (2 meters).

Classification

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Craniata

Class

Actinopterygii

Order

Perciformes

Family

Moronidae

Genus

Morone

NatureServe

Source:
ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.104731

Classification

Other Global Common Names

bar rayé

Informal Taxonomy

Animals, Vertebrates - Fishes - Bony Fishes - Other Bony Fishes

Formal Taxonomy

Animalia - Craniata - Actinopterygii - Perciformes - Moronidae - Morone - Formerly placed in the genus ROCCUS. Distinct populations occur within Chesapeake Bay and in other areas (Chapman 1990). Wirgin et al. (1989) found unique mtDNA genotypes in the Apalachicola River system, suggesting the continued existence there of a maternal lineage of Gulf ancestry. The family Percichthyidae was recognized by Robins et al. (1991) as possibly polyphyletic but was retained for convenience.

Ecology and Life History

Habitat Type Description

Freshwater

Migration

true - true - true - Certain stocks along the Atlantic coast north of Cape Hatteras may make extensive migrations along the coast, moving north in spring and south in fall (extent of migration varies among individuals and populations). Individuals may ascend rivers as far as 200 miles (320 km) during spawning migrations (usually only 25 miles [40 km] or less). Populations along the South Atlantic coast of the U.S. apparently do not make extensive coastal migrations that are typical of stocks in the Middle and North Atlantic regions. See Hill et al. (1989).

Non-migrant

true

Locally Migrant

true

Food Comments

Larvae feed on zooplankton (e.g. Copepoda, Cladocera), young primarily consume zooplankton & other invertebrates (e.g. Copedoda, Cladocera, Amphipoda, mysids); adults are predatory on fishes and larger crustaceans (Hassler 1988). When available, threadfin shad or gizzard shad often the major food for adults. Within the above categories, striped bass are basically opportunistic feeders.

Reproduction Comments

Spawning occurs as early as mid-February in Florida, as late as June-July in the St. Lawrence River; see Hill et al. (1989) for more detail on specific areas, and Crance (1984) for spawning in relation to temperature in various areas. Eggs hatch in about 2-3 days. Males usually become sexually mature in 1-3 years, females in 4-6 years (Middle Atlantic region). Spawning occurs in large aggregations (Moyle 1976).<br><br>See Hassler (1988) for a review of life history in Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California. See also Crance (1984).

Ecology Comments

Gregarious. Year-class success appears to be determined during fist 2 months of life, may be correlated with environmental conditions during larval stages (Hill et al. 1989). Growth and development rates vary widely, depending on conditions. Parasitic infection rarely cause mortalities in wild populations unless fishes are under stress (Hill et al. 1989). Summer die-offs are common in reservoirs (Sublette et al. 1990).

Length

200

Conservation Status

NatureServe Global Status Rank

Global Status Last Reviewed

1996-09-20

Global Status Last Changed

1996-09-20

Other Status

T, XT

Distribution

Conservation Status Map

Global Range

This species is native to Atlantic Slope drainages from the St. Lawrence River, Canada, south to the St. Johns River, Florida, and Gulf slope drainages from western Florida (Suwannee River) to Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana, and apparently to coastal areas of eastern Texas; aside from some remnant populations, native Gulf Coast striped bass no longer occur in the historical range (replaced in some areas by introduced Atlantic Slope fishes). Striped bass has been introduced widely in inland areas of the United States and on the Pacific coast, where it has spread north to British Columbia and south to northern Baja California. It has also been introduced in Eurasia. Sources: Crance (1984), Hill et al. (1989).

ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.104731