UNH Today

The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department calls striped bass “by far the most sought after fish along the New Hampshire coast,” and recreational anglers pursuing striped bass contribute more than $100 million to the Granite State’s economy and support more than 1,600 jobs. But annual surveys indicate that the population is in decline, threatening the major recreational and commercial fisheries both in New Hampshire and along the East Coast that rely on the popular fish.

Recent research at the University of New Hampshire (UNH) found that the Chesapeake Bay system is by far the most significant contributor to the striped bass population migrating along the northeast coast, insight that will help focus management efforts where they are needed most.

"Once word of the study got out into the community, it kind of blew up and became a cascade of support for striped bass research." -Linas Kenter

The research, supported by the New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station (NHAES) and New Hampshire Sea Grant (NHSG), analyzed the largest-yet sample of striped bass caught from southern Maine to the waters off Long Island, determining the origin of individual fish caught in the coastal mixed-stock fishery. The findings were presented in a paper published in Fish Biology.

“Striped bass can be especially vulnerable to overfishing because individuals from multiple spawning grounds mix together and are targeted by both commercial and recreational fisheries,” says NHAES researcher Adrienne Kovach, professor in the department of natural resources and the environment, who co-led the study with colleague David Berlinsky, professor emeritus in the department of agricultural, nutrition and food systems. “It’s very important to know where they’re coming from to inform management practices and preserve the fishery.”

Connecting with the fishing community

Paper co-author Linas Kenter, aquaculture and fisheries research scientist in NHSG, led the effort to engage the fishing community. The partnership with recreational and commercial anglers yielded an impressive total of 5,298 fin-clip samples from four locations — the waters off southern Maine/New Hampshire, southern Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Long Island — over a two-year period.

“Once word of the study got out into the community, it kind of blew up and became a cascade of support for striped bass research,” says Kenter. “People kept connecting us with new collaborators, and it became increasingly exciting to maintain communications  and distribute sampling kits. We just needed a small clip from the top of the tail, so most of the samples we received were from fish that were released back into the ocean.”

Data analysis by first author Kris Wojtusik, a research scientist in the Kovach lab, showed that across the sampling regions and seasons, the Chesapeake Bay area, including the Delaware River, consistently contributes 80%-88% of the fish caught, with 10%-18% coming from the Hudson River.

“We thought we might see a higher proportion of Hudson River fish, particularly around Long Island,” says Kovach, “but no matter where the fish were caught, the Chesapeake consistently contributed the most to the population.”

Mounting concerns

The striped bass population crashed in the 1980s due to overfishing and environmental factors. Strict regulations followed, and the fishery gradually recovered over the next few decades. Around 2015 some concerning trends began to emerge once again, however, and fewer first-year fish are being found each year during annual surveys. Recent strict limits on how many and what size of fish can be kept have been imposed in hopes that the fishing can be sustained.

The paper’s findings underscore the importance of this coming year’s survey data around the Chesapeake Bay. Spawning habitat loss, decreasing water quality, and competition from other species can all reduce the number of larval fish that survive long enough to reach the ocean.

“Poor results from this year’s survey could have some serious implications,” concludes Kenter. “Restrictions could be much tighter in 2026, and it might be the start of a very challenging time for the striped bass fishing industry.”

The research presented in the paper is from NH Sea Grant Project #NA18OAR4170090, with partial funding provided by the NH Agricultural Experiment Station Hatch Project #NH00681.