Saving Seafood

Worry and encouragment: What two new reports say about the future of Atlantic Striped Bass

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.

Read the full article at WKRG

VIMS Survey Finds Average Striped Bass Year Class in Chesapeake Bay

October 21, 2026 — Preliminary results from an ongoing long-term survey conducted by William & Mary‘s Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) suggest that an average year class of young-of-year striped bass was produced in the Virginia tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay in 2026.

Striped bass are an important top predator in the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem and a valuable resource for commercial and recreational anglers. The 2026 year class, representing fish hatched this spring, will reach fishable sizes in three to four years.

The VIMS Juvenile Striped Bass Seine Survey recorded a mean value of 9.52 fish per seine haul in the Virginia portion of the Chesapeake Bay. The 2026 value is an increase from the 5.12 fish per seine haul recorded in 2025, though both years are similar to the historical average (7.77 fish per seine haul) observed in Virginia tributaries. The improvement in recruitment observed in 2025 and 2026 is consistent with historically observed patterns: years with below-average recruitment (i.e., 1999, 2002, 2012, 2024) were followed by years with average to above-average recruitment (i.e., 2000, 2003, 2013, 2025).

“While this year’s class is considered average in terms of abundance, it represents a significant increase from 2024,” said Jack Buchanan, marine scientist at VIMS and the chief scientist of the Juvenile Striped Bass Seine Survey, who noted that striped bass recruitment can vary considerably from year to year. “A single year of poor recruitment can be partially offset by the previous or following year’s production, which helps stabilize the overall population and the fisheries it supports.”

Read the full article at ECO Magazine

MARYLAND: The Chesapeake Bay’s young rockfish are still struggling. It may be the ‘new normal.’

October 20, 2026 — For the eighth straight year, Maryland scientists found well below average numbers of young rockfish in the Chesapeake Bay.

This summer’s survey, released Monday, showed the best results since 2018, the last time that surveyors counted an above-average quantity of juvenile striped bass, or rockfish. But with “young of the year” index of 5.5 this year — compared to a historical average of 10.8 — Maryland scientists aren’t really celebrating.

“The important piece of information is that it is still below average, and it is now the eighth year of low abundance,” said Carrie Kennedy, the Tidal and Coastal Monitoring and Assessment Division director for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.

Virginia scientists also released their results Monday, showing a slightly better picture. The state’s index was 9.52, a bit above its historical average of 7.77.

In Maryland, it’s possible that these continued low numbers of rockfish at or below 3 inches in length are “the new normal,” Kennedy said. Fisheries scientists believe that changing environmental conditions, including water temperature, could be altering the species’ reproduction in some way. Maryland’s survey has been running since 1954, making it one of the longest-running fish surveys in the nation, according to the DNR.

Read the full article at Maryland Matter

MARYLAND: Maryland striped bass reproduction improves, remains below average for eighth straight year

October 20, 2026 — Striped bass reproduction in Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay showed signs of improvement this year but remained below average for the eighth consecutive year, according to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.

The department’s annual juvenile striped bass survey recorded an index of 5.5, the highest since 2018. That is up from 4.0 in 2025 and 2.0 in 2024, but still well below the long-term average of 10.8.

Biologists say they collected 723 juvenile striped bass during sampling at 22 sites in the Choptank, Nanticoke, and Potomac rivers and the upper Chesapeake Bay. The upper Bay and Choptank River produced the strongest results, according to researchers.

Read the full article at WBOC