Is the Striped Bass (Roccus Lineatus) of Chesapeake Bay a Migratory Fish?

From October 8, 1936 to June 3, 1937 some 1,563 striped bass were tagged. The great majority of these fish belonged to the 1934 year class, which was extremely abundant in Chesapeake Bay. During nine months 632 recaptures, or 42.4 per cent, were made. There is sufficient evidence that at least 300 tags from recaptured fish were not turned in as yet. Although these data indicate very intensive fishing, they are by no means conclusive as to the percentage of the striped bass population removed by the fishery within the bay, since the ratio of tagged fish to unmarked ones was unknown. The great majority (97.5 per cent) of the recaptures was made within Chesapeake Bay, and only eighteen fish, or less than 2.5 per cent, were taken outside of the bay. During October, 1936 when the principal tagging at Galesville and Tilghman was done, the great majority of returns was taken locally. From the middle of November to the first week of December fish were recaptured on their down‐bay migration as far south as the James River, Virginia. From the end of February to the end of April fish migrating up‐bay were caught principally in Tangier Sound and the upper Potomac River. These localities are probably the chief spawning grounds for Maryland striped bass. The results of tagging in the James River indicate that the local fish belong to a distinct school, which is evidently non‐migratory. The recaptures of tagged fish outside of Chesapeake Bay were made from February through the entire summer of 1937, from Delaware to Massachusetts inclusive. Not a single tagged fish was recaptured south of Chesapeake Bay.