Life History and Population Characteristics of Striped Bass in Atlantic Canada

Populations of striped bass Morone saxatilis occur in three regions of Atlantic Canada: the St. Lawrence River and estuary in Quebec; the Gulf of St. Lawrence from Chaleur Bay through Northumberland Strait; and rivers in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia draining into the Bay of Fundy. At least nine rivers are known or believed to sustain spawning populations: the St. Lawrence River (where the spawning stock may be extirpated); the Nepisiguit River in Chaleur Bay; the Tabusintac, Miramichi, Kouchibouguac, and Richibucto rivers in the western Gulf of St. Lawrence; the Saint John and Annapolis rivers in the outer Bay of Fundy; and the Shubenacadie–Stewiacke river system in the inner Bay of Fundy. Historically, commercial striped bass landings in Atlantic Canada were lower than those of the U.S. eastern seaboard, the largest landings being made in New Brunswick. Angling catches are substantial but difficult to verify. Spawning occurs in tidal streams several weeks after ice leaves the system. Adults exhibit regional and long‐distance summer migration but seek freshwater refugia for overwintering. Studies of growth, population age structures, comparative total instantaneous mortality rates, meristic and morphometric characters, and parasites, combined with tag returns, strongly suggest that Bay of Fundy rivers, specifically the Annapolis, Shubenacadie, and Saint John, contain stocks that are mixed with U.S. fish in most years. Bay of Fundy fish apparently participate in the striped bass coastal migration on the eastern seaboard, whereas populations in Gulf of St. Lawrence rivers appear to be localized. Anecdotal information from commercial and angling catches suggests more spawning–overwintering populations occur than are known to science. Periodic population assessments should be conducted to provide the information necessary for knowledgeable management of the species in eastern Canada.