Virginia Striped Bass Spawn Good, not Great

Yesterday, Maryland reported that its YOY index for Striped Bass was the 8th highest ever, double the long term average. Today Virginia reported theirs, and while it was adequate, it was hardly exciting.

Survey shows average abundance of juvenile striped bass in Virginia waters in 2015

Preliminary results from an ongoing long-term survey conducted by researchers at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) suggest an average number of young-of-the-year striped bass was produced in Virginia tributaries of Chesapeake Bay in 2015. The 2015 year class represents the group of fish hatched this spring that will grow to fishable sizes in three to four years.

The program, formally known as the Juvenile Striped Bass Seine Survey, recorded approximately 12 fish per seine haul, which is statistically equivalent to the historic average of about 9 fish per seine haul. This year represents the third consecutive year of average annual recruitment for striped bass in Virginia waters of Chesapeake Bay. Like many other fishes, striped bass exhibit considerable variation in recruitment from year to year.

Average is OK but it's not what we really need to keep the population going.