Did They Break a Mirror?

At the Bay Journal, Seven years of bad luck for striped bass, survey shows

Striped bass reproduction has remained below average in parts of the Chesapeake Bay since 2018, and this year is no different. The annual juvenile striped bass surveys from Maryland and Virginia give insight as to how the next generation of striped bass will sustain the population. With continuing poor results, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission is considering stronger catch limits.

Striped bass are top predators in the Bay and support commercial and recreational fishing. They are found along the East Coast from Canada to Florida, but they spawn and spend the first few years of their lives in the Bay.

The Virginia Institute of Marine Science has conducted its annual survey on striped bass since 1967. This year, scientists caught more than 1,000 juvenile striped bass at 18 sites in the Rappahannock, York and James rivers with a 100-foot seine net. Fish are captured, counted, measured and thrown back.

 

This year’s survey from Virginia recorded an average of 5.12 juvenile fish per seine net catch, which is below the historic average of 7.77. It’s slightly better than the last two years, but the survey hasn’t found the average level of reproduction since 2022.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources sampled fish from 22 sites in the Choptank, Nanticoke and Potomac rivers and in the upper Bay. Maryland’s results were even more stark. This year, the young-of-year catch averaged four per seine haul, far below the historical average of 11. This marks the seventh year the striped bass juvenile population hasn’t met that threshold.

Carrie Kennedy, director of the Tidal and Coastal Monitoring and Assessment Division at the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, said she doesn’t think anyone knows for sure why the juvenile population is remaining low. Some scientists hypothesize that changes in water temperature can throw off the time when the fish spawn and when their food, zooplankton, is available. Others blame predation by invasive blue catfish. 

“It’s usually at least one or two factors that are compounding upon themselves,” Kennedy said. “But, at the end of the day, we’re not exactly sure what is the cause, but we do know there’s more work to do.”

Fisheries isn't rocket science, it's way more complicated.

And perhaps related CBF says it's Time to Pause Menhaden Fishing in the Chesapeake Bay

Atlantic menhaden are a critical forage species in Chesapeake Bay, and one of the most controversial. Because these small, nutrient-packed fish are such a critical food source for many other species, there have been longstanding concerns that the large-scale industrial fishery that harvests more than 100 million pounds of menhaden from Virginia's Bay waters each year could disrupt the Bay's food chain.

Now, as warning signs escalate and industry efforts continue to block necessary scientific research, there is a growing consensus that the fishery should be put on pause. An overwhelming 92 percent of Virginia voters believe the state should leave more menhaden in the Bay, according to a new public opinion poll commissioned by CBF and conducted by New Bridge Strategy and FM3 Research. Five key points explain how we got here:
. . .
"With so many unanswered questions, we are risking the health of our cherished wildlife, the Chesapeake Bay, and the menhaden fishery itself," said CBF Virginia Executive Director Chris Moore. "The best option is to pause industrial menhaden fishing in the Bay and move this capable fishery offshore while Virginia undertakes sorely-needed research."

I agree. 

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Young Girls & Old Trucks garnering clicks at The Other McCain.