Recent Changes in Striped Bass (Morone saxatilis) Spawning Sites and Commercial Fishing Areas in Upper Chesapeake Bay; Possible Influencing Factors

Abstract

Chesapeake Bay annually contributes a large percentage of all the striped bass produced in North America. For many years, the lower Susquehanna River was considered the major spawning area in the Bay. Recent evidence suggests that the areas of greatest egg abundance, as well as commercial fishing for striped bass in the upper bay, now occur along the main navigational channel from Worton Point to Chesapeake City on the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal. This shift has apparently resulted from major environmental alterations which have occurred in the last 90 years. The construction of the C & D Canal, at the head of Chesapeake Bay, has increased the total area suitable for species propagation and commercial fishing activities.