The natural range of the striped bass extends along the Atlantic coast of North America, from the St. Lawrence Estuary to the St. Johns River in northeast Florida. Native striped bass populations have also existed in the tributaries of the Gulf of Mexico, from the Suwannee River in northwestern Florida to Lake Pontchartrain in Louisiana.

There is historical evidence of striped bass spawning in five rivers of Eastern Canada: the St. Lawrence Estuary, the Miramichi River in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence, and the Saint John, Annapolis and Shubenacadie rivers, which all drain into the Bay of Fundy. Striped bass still spawn in the Miramichi (southern Gulf) and Shubenacadie (Bay of Fundy) rivers. The Bay of Fundy is also frequented by striped bass that breed in rivers in the United States. The species is typically associated with estuaries and coastal waters.

The striped bass was once commercially important in Eastern Canada and is still highly prized by anglers. It is an anadromous species - meaning that it spawns in fresh water before moving downstream to brackish and salt water to feed and mature. It is dark olive green on the back with paler silvery sides and white on the belly. Seven or 8 dark stripes run horizontally down its sides. Striped bass is a long lived fish, reaching up to 30 years of age. Although it has been recorded at lengths up to 1.8 m, it rarely reaches 1 m in Canadian waters.