Intertidal Habitat Use, Population Characteristics, Movement, and Exploitation of Striped Bass in the Inner Bay of Fundy, Canada

Abstract

AbstractStriped bass Morone saxatilis were sampled from intertidal weirs in Minas Basin and Cobequid Bay, Bay of Fundy, to determine tidal behavior, population characteristics, movements, and exploitation. During 1985 and 1986, 1,864 striped bass ranging from 69 to more than 600 mm in fork length were captured in three commercial weirs from May to December along the north shore of Minas Basin and Cobequid Bay. Catches were lowest during early summer and highest in late summer and fall. Catches were greatest when low tide occurred from dusk to midnight (1800‐2400 hours), a second peak being observed when low tide occurred from dawn to late morning. Largest weir catches at a clear‐water site (Minas Basin) were associated with spring tides (0.5‐0.9 m above mean low water [MLW]), but at turbid water sites (Cobequid Bay) the best catches were during neap tides (1.0‐1.7 m above MLW). The largest striped bass were captured from June to August (280‐610 mm), but age‐0 (69‐94‐mm) and age‐1 (141‐240‐mm) fish dominated the catches in September and October. A total of 1,431 striped bass were marked: 1,163 in 1985 and 268 in 1986. The recapture rate was 21.3% for fish released in 1985 and 8.9% for those released in 1986; 55.8% were recreational recaptures, and 44.2% came from commercial fisheries. The mean day of recapture from all sources (recreational and commercial) in marine waters of the Bay of Fundy was September 3, but for striped bass recaptured in local, freshwater overwintering sites it was May 21. The average distance moved for striped bass recaptured in Minas Basin and local watersheds was 55 km, and for long‐distance movement it was 780 km. Tags were returned from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Virginia. All tag returns from outside Minas Basin were from fish larger than 390 mm at time of release. The fastest travel time was 17.8 km/d by a fish recaptured in Rhode Island 45 d after release. Our findings demonstrate that the striped bass frequenting Minas Basin and Cobequid Bay each summer consist of a portion that overwinters in freshwater around the Bay of Fundy and a portion that migrates southward along the eastern coast of the United States.