The dependence of commercial fishing success on strong yearclasses of striped bass is demonstrated, using four years of catch records from a small group of cooperating gill-net fishermen. Age analysis of these Rappahannock River catches during 1969 and 1970 revealed that an approximate tripling of landings in 1970 was a result of selection for the dominant 1966 year-class.
A total of 8525 striped bass, Morone saxatilis (Walbaum), were tagged and released in Virginia during 1968 and 1969. Releases were grouped in three periods: (1) 3195 in winter 1968, (2) 2439 during summer-fall 1968; and (3) 2891 in winter 1969. Streamer disc tags, employed in winter 1968, were subsequently replaced by internal anchor tags (Floy Tag No. FD-67). This substitution shortened application time and eliminated a source of bias intrOduced by the entanglement of disc tags in gill nets. Releases were made in the James, York, and Rappahannock rivers in all three periods. Rewards of...
The age composition, as determined from scale impressions, of striped bass stocks in the James, York, and Rappahannock Rivers during the period June 1967 - March 1968 indicates a relative deficiency of the 1966 year class in the James River. Similar results are shown in samples from non-selective gear (pound nets, fyke nets), selective gear (gill nets, haul seines, hook-and-line), and routine surveys using a 30-foot semi-balloon trawl. The immediate effect of this apparent deficiency on a planned winter tagging program, and the more general implications for evaluation of year-class...
The Journal of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies presents papers that cover all aspects of the management and conservation of inland, estuarine, and marine fisheries and wildlife. It aims to provide a forum where fisheries and wildlife managers can find innovative solutions to the problems facing our natural resources in the 21st century.