By james art 
Annapolis, MD — The Maryland Department of Natural Resources recently announced the results of this year’s juvenile striped bass survey, which tracks the reproductive success of Maryland’s state fish in the Chesapeake Bay.
The youth index for 2024 was 2.0, well below the long-term average of 11.0, and marked the sixth straight year of poor reproduction.
“These results highlight the complexities of managing coastal migratory species whose life cycles are affected by environmental conditions during a short spawning period,” said Lynn Fegley, director of Maryland DNR Fishing and Boating Services.
“We will continue to explore ways to preserve and increase the spawning population during this time when we are adding fewer juveniles to the population.”
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During this annual survey, fisheries managers survey 22 sites located in four major spawning areas: the Choptank, Nanticoke and Potomac rivers and the upper Chesapeake Bay. Biologists visit each site three times a summer, collecting fish with two sweeps of a 100-foot beach seine net.
The index represents the average number of juvenile striped bass found in each sample. The juvenile striped bass average less than 3 inches in length and are not usually encountered by anglers. Similar fish surveys conducted this summer in the Patapsco, Magothy, Rhode, West, Miles and Tred Avon rivers found fewer striped bass, also known as walleye.
Efforts to restore the striped bass population along the Atlantic coast have been ongoing for several years. Although recent population estimates show improvement, low reproduction rates will affect future conservation measures being considered by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission.
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In recent years, Maryland has implemented management actions aimed at rebuilding spawning stocks, including reductions in catch limits, increased protections for spawning fish, tighter slot limits and season closures.
However, warm winter conditions continue to negatively affect the reproductive success of striped bass, whose larvae are very sensitive to water conditions and food availability during the first few weeks after hatching.
Below-average year classes are likely to become more evident in the adult striped bass population in future years as juveniles reach maturity.
As environmental conditions impede reproductive success, fishery managers focus conservation efforts on adult striped bass so that the spawning population can produce a strong yearling when environmental conditions are favorable.