Striped bass
(also known as Linesider, Rockfish, Rock, and Roccus in the USA; Bar d'Amérique and Bar rayé in Quebec, Canada and France; Robalo-muge in Portugal; Lubina estriada in Mexico and Spain; and Persico spigola in Italy)

Morone   saxatilis (Walbaum, 1792)
(previously identified as Morone lineatus (Bloch, 1792); Morone saxitilis (Walbaum, 1792);  Perca labrax (non Linnaeus, 1758);  Perca mitchilli alternata (Mitchill, 1815);  Perca saxatilis (Walbaum, 1792); Roccus lineatus  (Bloch, 1792);  Roccus saxatilis  (Walbaum, 1792); and  Sciaena lineata (Bloch, 1792))

Striped bass occur along the Atlantic coast from the St. Lawrence River in Canada to the St. Johns River in Florida.  They also occur in parts of the Gulf of Mexico.  The striped bass is an abundant year round resident in the Chesapeake Bay inhabiting a variety of environmental conditions including marine, estuarine, and riverine habitats.  During summer and winter, striped bass reside in the deep channels of the bay.  Also during the summer, a portion of the bays older population migrates north along the coast as far as southern Canada.  These fish ultimately return to the bay vicinity in fall and winter.  In autumn, striped bass can be found concentrated in the lower reaches of rivers.  In the Chesapeake Bay area, the striped bass is an anadromous species.  This means that they spawn in freshwater habitats but return to marine waters as an adult.  Spawning migrations may begin in March with peak spawning activity occurring at the end of April or early May.  The tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay are the principle spawning areas for striped bass along the mid-Atlantic coast.  Striped bass feed on a variety of fishes, crustaceans, squids, mussels, and worms (Murdy et al., 1997).

Map from AquaMaps

At 7.5 mm, body slender, yolk-sac absorbed; pigmentation on ventral part of body, upper surface of air bladder and visceral mass; teeth visible. At about 10 mm, dorsal and anal fins somewhat differentiated; caudal rays well developed.

At 15 mm, fins well formed, except for spinous dorsal and pelvics. Fish between 9-15 mm possess 2 anal spines; fish greater than 20 mm have 3 anal spines

Scotton, L.N., R.E. Smith, N.S. Smith, K.S. Price and D.P. de Sylva, 1973. Pictorial guide to fish larvae of Delaware Bay: with information and bibliographies useful for the study of fish larvae

Age by Length

Age by Weight