Chesapeake Bay Striped Bass Population Down Again

Striped bass are an important fish for a variety of reasons, but us anglers love them for the great experiences they provide at the end of a fly rod. That’s what makes the recent news about Chesapeake Bay striped bass populations all the more concerning.

As Eliza Noe over at Phys.org wrote, “According to a 2024 survey from the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, which monitors the success of young bass in the lower Chesapeake Bay, this year was “significantly lower” than the historical average. In Maryland, the Department of Natural Resources reported it saw the sixth consecutive year that young striped bass fell far below the long-term average.”

Striped bass management has been in the news for years in the fly fishing world, and it continues to pose a problem for fisheries managers. Noe reports that this year’s numbers on stripers in Chesapeake Bay will spur regulators to examine whether they need new rules to help meet a target of rebuilding the striped bass stock to a non-overfished level by 2029.

“The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission will meet again in December to consider further action,” Noe wrote. “It had already determined in October that at least an additional 15% reduction in fishing mortality would be necessary for the stock to have a 50% probability of rebuilding to sustainable levels.”

You can learn more about the problem, and read Noe’s article, here.