October 22, 2026 — There is cause for encouragment and reason for concern from the latest Chesapeake Bay Young-of-the-Year Atlantic Striped Bass surveys.
The annual surveys are done by the Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
The news from Maryland was discouraging. For the eighth straight year, striped bass recruitment in Maryland waters was below average. The news from Virginia was better; the numbers show an average spawn and rebounding numbers. The Chesapeake numbers are so important because experts say 70% to 90% of all Atlantic Striped Bass on the east coast are spawned in the Chesapeake.
Striped bass are an iconic species with a multi-billion dollar economic impact on every state from Maine to South Carolina.