CHESAPEAKE BAY - Striped bass populations in the Chesapeake Bay could see an increase this season, and experts say the cold winter may be the reason why.
This past winter brought more snow than the Delmarva Peninsula has seen in several years, and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources says that could be a good sign for striped bass reproduction.
“What we've seen over time is that when we have good years of reproduction and we have lots of baby striped bass that survive to be captured in our juvenile index survey, those years when we've had the highest abundances of those small young fish, we've had cold winters,” said Mike Luisi with DNR's Fishing and Boating Services.
Luisi said it’s not an exact correlation, but historically, successful spawning often follows colder winters. He also emphasized the importance of a wet spring and gradual warming of Bay waters, which help protect juvenile striped bass from sudden temperature shocks — similar to acclimating a new goldfish to a fishbowl.
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation is hopeful both conditions will align this year.
“For the past five or six consecutive years, Maryland is experiencing well below average reproduction rates for striped bass. A lot of what contributes to that is environmental conditions,” said Allison Colden, Maryland executive director of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.
There’s a chance for population numbers to rise this year. The Department of Natural Resources plans to begin sampling for juvenile striped bass in July, with a report expected by September.