STRIPED BASS

Morone saxatilis

Identification

• Striped bass are in the family Moronidae, order Perciformes.
• Body elongate, moderately compressed.
• Back dark-blue to olive-green, sides silvery, belly white in color, 6-9 black stripes on side.

Distribution

• St. Lawrence River to northern Florida and western Florida (northern Gulf of Mexico) to Louisiana. Also introduced to the Pacific Coast of the U.S.
• Some landlocked populations.

Habitat

• Coastal species, usually found in rivers over various bottoms except during migrations.
• Spawns upriver in freshwater.

Diet

• Striped bass are opportunistic feeders.
• Larvae feed largely on copepods.
• Juveniles have non-selective feeding habits: insect larvae, larval fish, mysids, amphipods, and polychaetes.
• Adults are mainly piscivorous; prey items include Atlantic menhaden, spot, Atlantic croaker, blue crabs, alewife and blueback herring.

  [Back to Overview]