Fishery bulletin of the Fish and Wildlife Service - NOAA

STUDIES ON THE STRIPED BASS OF THE ATLANTIC COAST 63
more profit when the fishery first starts to take the bass as 3-year-olds than there is
when the fishery starts to take the bass as 2-year-olds, because the greatest increment
in growth in the entire life of the striped bass takes place during the third year of
life—when the fish are 2 years old. This growth in the third year is sufficient to more
than compensate for the losses due to natural mortality, and its advantages are missed
when the fish are caught for the first time as 2-year-olds.
It is therefore recommended, on the basis of existing knowledge and as a practical
experiment in conservation, that striped bass on the Atlantic coast less than 16 inches
m length be protected.
The problem is, then, how striped bass should be protected up to the time they
become 3 years old. Unfortunately the commercial fishery is not one which exists
for the purpose of catching this species alone; rather, striped bass are taken in association
with many other forms by different types of gear along the whole coast. It is
impossible to make any limitation on the size of mesh to be used, since this would affect
the capture of other species that do not need to be protected up to as large a size as
do striped bass. Further than this, the striped bass is highly migratory and should be
protected along the entire length of its range. It is ошу feasible, on this account,
to suggest a universal length limit (or at least a commercial sale limit) for the entire
Atlantic coast, and let the individual States determine by appropriate investigation
whether additional restrictions on the gear employed in the striped bass fishery, and
on the seasons when the fishery shall operate, would be profitable. It is no great hardship
for commercial fisheries to return undersized bass to the water, and it is to their
ultimate advantage to do so—not only from the point of view of the increased return
it should bring them, but also in order to eliminate any legitimate objection by anglers
to their fishing methods. That the mortality of these undersized bass from being
caught in a net and handled before being released would be small under normal conditions
is abundantly illustrated by the fact that some of the most successful tagging
experiments that have been carried .on during this investigation have been made on
fish that were caught in semes and pound-nets.
It is apparent that there is nothing to be lost and much to be gained by allowing
the striped bass of the Atlantic coast one more growing season than they have under
existing conditions in the fishery—that is, by allowing them to become 3-year-olds
before they are taken in large quantities. However, the gains from such an experimental
measure will depend directly upon its universal acceptance along the entire
Atlantic coast, and on the complete cooperation of those engaged in the fishery. The
adoption of measures designed to protect striped bass of less than 16 inches in length
should result in greater profit to the commercial fishermen, an increased supply of
larger fish for the sportsmen, and a larger number that reach maturity—of which a
certain number should spawn in northern waters and possibly replenish stocks which
have been badly depleted.
It is also apparent that there is need for much more study on the striped bass of
the Atlantic coast. This is especially true since the specific recommendations as to
the size limit of the striped bass made in this paper are suggested on an experimental
basis. It is therefore essential that more detailed and more accurate catch records be
made available, and further biological studies be undertaken in order to trace the
results of the recommendation if adopted, to make possible a suitable revision of
the size limit if the results indicate that modification would be desirable, and to amplify
the results of the present investigation.
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
(1) The foregoing report is concerned with the results of an investigation of the
striped bass (Roccus saxatilis) of the Atlantic coast, from April 1, 1936, to June 30,
1938. (2) The general morphology and systematic characters of the species are described
in detail on the basis of the Sterature and material afforded by fin-ray, scale, and
vertebral counts, and measurements on more than 350 individuals.
(3) The striped bass is strictly coastal in its distribution from the Gulf of St.
Lawrence to the Gulf of Mexico. Those most commonly taken at present range from
less than 1 pound to 10 pounds in weight; but larger individuals are by no means rare.
The largest striped bass of which there is authentic record weighed 125 pounds.
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