On October 16, 2012, Virginia and Maryland fisheries officials reported their latest annual surveys found low numbers of young Striped Bass (or Rockfish) in Chesapeake Bay waters. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources reported newly spawned Striped Bass in Maryland’s upper Bay waters fell to the lowest level since the annual surveys started in the 1960s. This decline followed a near-record high level in Maryland waters in 2011. Scientists attributed the low numbers of young fish to abnormally warm and dry weather in winter and spring 2011, leading to poor survival of the offspring of this year’s spawning.
Source: Striped bass reproduction hits record low, Baltimore Sun, 10/16/12
