2012 Maryland Anadromous Species Study

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A recently released study by Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) found low numbers of striped bass, yellow perch, white perch, and river herring.

The 2012 striped bass juvenile index, a measure of striped bass spawning success in Chesapeake Bay, is below the long-term average this year.

This year’s striped bass juvenile index was the lowest on record. In 2011, biologists reported the fourth highest index in the 59-year history of the survey.

Other anadromous species also experienced low reproductive success for 2012, including white perch, yellow perch, and river herring.

The survey showed increased reproduction of fish species that spawn in higher salinities or offshore, such as Atlantic croaker and bay anchovies.

During the 2012 survey, biologists counted more than 31,000 fish of 54 different species at 22 sites along the Choptank, Potomac and Nanticoke rivers, and the Upper Bay.

DNR biologists visited each site monthly from July through September, collecting fish samples with two sweeps of a 100-foot beach seine.

source: MD DNR