Wild Striped Bass

As Success Story in Fisheries Management

Jun 9, 2009

Striped bass were once so plentiful they were used to fertilize fields...overfishing and habitat degradation in the Bay have decimated the striped bass population.

June 8th is United Nations World Oceans Day. As Dawn Martin, President of Seaweb so eloquently wrote,

"... the ocean is crucial to our daily lives. It provides more than half of our oxygen, regulates our climate, supplies food to at least a sixth of the human population and so much more. Yet only through supporting healthy, biologically diverse marine ecosystems will they continue to provide for future generations."

So How Does this Relate to Wild Striped Bass?

In 1614, Captain John Smith wrote in his journal that the Striped bass enabled the Pilgrims in the Massachusetts Bay Colony to survive their first winters. In 1670, The Plymouth Colony started a free school with income from the striped bass fisheries, becoming the first public school in America. [1]

What are Stripers?

The Striped Bass (Morone saxatilis), also called stripers, are identified by their silver body and continuous dark horizontal stripes from head to tail. They are native to the Atlantic coastline of North America ranging from the St. Lawrence River into the Gulf of Mexico to approximately Louisiana. They are anadromous, like salmon, meaning they spawn in fresh water and then spend their life migrating between fresh and salt water.

Stripers are moderately fatty, with a rich flavor, strong mouth feel and a large, firm flake. 100g of raw fish contains:

Striped Bass Conservation and Fishery Management Laws

Stripers were the first fish to have harvest regulations put in place. During early colonial times striped bass were so numerous that they were used for fertilizing farm fields. Realizing the importance of these fish as food, Massachusetts banned the practice in the 1630's. Throughout the 20th century, there were many attempts at striped bass conservation and coast-wide management. [2]

Commercial catches in the Chesapeake Bay (their major spawning grounds) peaked at almost 15 million pounds in 1973. By 1983 less than 2 million pounds were landed. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, overfishing and habitat degradation in the Bay decimated the striped bass population.

One example can be found in Striper Wars: An American Fish Story (Island Press, $14.00). Dick Russell relates the story of a little-noticed plan to build a Hudson River hydroelectric plant in 1964. This seemingly harmless idea would have decimated a huge striped bass hatchery. The plan never came to fruition. The hero of the battle against that plant, Robert Boyle, went on to found the Riverkeeper organization and lead the fight against PCBs in the Hudson River. [3]

Severe fishing restrictions in the early 1990s and community efforts to improve environmental conditions have allowed the populations to rebounded and the annual catch has remained steady. Today, according to the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch Program, wild Atlantic striped bass are at record levels and rated a Best Choice. Additionally, the Maryland striped bass fishery is currently under assessment certification from Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), an international, independent sustainable seafood certification organization.

The copyright of the article Wild Striped Bass in Seasonal Cooking is owned by Stuart Stein. Permission to republish Wild Striped Bass in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.