Research Document 1998/35
Status of Striped Bass (Morone saxatilis) in the Gulf of St. Lawrence in 1997
By R.G. Bradford and G. Chaput
Abstract
Spawner abundance for 1997 was estimated at about 8,000 fish (2,500 females; 5,500 males). The spawning population has not recovered from the precipitous decline from 1995 when spawners were estimated to be 50,000 fish. Removals of adults through unregulated, direct commercial fishing acitivities between May 1995 and March, 1996 are the primary cause of the decline. The 1991 year-class continued to be an important component of the spawning population, a consequence of a poorer than expected contribution to spawning by the 1992 and 1993 year-classes. The decline in female abundance is expected to continue into 1998. The juvenile abundance index obtained by sampling of the bycatch in the autumn smelt fishery corresponded to the reduced number of females in the spawning population in 1997. The average body size of the 1997 year-class after the first season of growth was small and the prospects for winter survival are poor. Production of Miramichi striped bass is likely to remain heavily dependent on the spawners of the 1991 year-class through to 1998 or 1999.
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