Habitat use of juvenile striped bass Morone saxatilis (Actinopterygii: Moronidae) in rivers spanning a salinity gradient across a shallow wind-driven estuary

AbstractPurposely introduced in 1879, Pacific coast Striped Bass Morone saxatilis once supported a commercial fishery and currently supports a recreational fishery in the San Francisco Estuary Watershed, CA, USA; however, the population has been in decline for decades. Since little is known about sub-adult behavior on the Pacific coast, we used acoustic telemetry to investigate seasonal movement patterns and habitat use across three regions (bay, delta, and river) and the effects of temperature and salinity on habitat use over a 2-year period. Sub-adult movement and habitat use differed by year and age. In spring, age-I and age-II sub-adults moved within the delta (60%), river (20%), and bay (20%) regions, and by summer, some individuals moved to the bay (36%), while others remained in the delta (42%) and river (22%). Fall and winter showed equal movement between the bay and delta regions. During year 2, age-II and age-III fish inhabited the bay region across all seasons with the exception of spring when a few individuals migrated up river. Generally, sub-adults did not inhabit the river region in fall or winter. Sub-adults were not detected in water temperatures < 10 °C and occurred most often in 20–25 °C. Younger sub-adults inhabited limnetic habitat where older fish inhabited mesohaline and polyhaline habitats. Our findings suggest that sub-adult seasonal movement patterns and habitat use hotspots have important fishery management implications and can be useful to address concerns over how this non-native fish’s predation impacts native and endangered fishes.

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Effect of habitat use on PCB body burden in Hudson River striped bass (Morone saxatilis)

Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences ◽

10.1139/f99-209 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 56 (S1) ◽

pp. 86-93 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

Erik R Zlokovitz ◽

David H Secor

Keyword(s):

New York ◽

Habitat Use ◽

Striped Bass ◽

Polychlorinated Biphenyl ◽

Body Burden ◽

Morone Saxatilis ◽

Hudson River ◽

Local Source ◽

Marine Habitats ◽

Electron Microanalysis

The Hudson River commercial striped bass (Morone saxatilis) fishery has been closed since 1976 due to high polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) contamination. Accurate forecasting of PCB levels in striped bass has been confounded by high variance in contamination among individuals. We investigated the relationship between habitat use and PCB contamination in Hudson River and Long Island Sound striped bass using electron microanalysis of otolith strontium to generate time series of individual salinity habitation. Males with highly contaminated levels (mean PCB = 8.3 ppm) showed freshwater resident behavior, rarely experiencing salinities >5 ppt. Several individuals showed large habitat shifts. Shifts from brackish or marine habitats to freshwater habitats were often associated with high PCB levels. A third pattern was apparent in large females, where polyhaline/euhaline salinity habitation was associated with lower PCB levels. Total PCB body burden was inversely correlated with mean salinity encountered during the most recent growth season prior to capture. Fish with recent exposure to polyhaline salinities showed high variability in PCB body burdens (0.4-9.0 ppm), suggesting a local source of PCB contamination in the New York Harbor region.

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Emamectin benzoate is a safe and effective anthelmintic against coelomic nematode Philometra rubra in striped bass Morone saxatilis

Diseases of Aquatic Organisms ◽

10.3354/dao03530 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 142 ◽

pp. 47-53

Author(s):

K Béland ◽

G Séguin ◽

S Lair

Keyword(s):

Mortality Rate ◽

Striped Bass ◽

High Mortality ◽

Morone Saxatilis ◽

Treatment Results ◽

Emamectin Benzoate ◽

Once Daily ◽

Fish Hatchery ◽

Parasitic Burden

An unusually high mortality rate due to verminous (Philometra rubra) coelomitis was documented in wild-hatched striped bass Morone saxatilis raised in a fish hatchery as part of a stock restoration program. To decrease the parasitic burden and therefore potentially minimize mortality, the effectiveness of 2 different anthelmintics was evaluated. Two trials were conducted on wild-collected fingerlings naturally infected by P. rubra. In 2006, 144 yearling fish were randomly assigned to 4 experimental groups: (1) levamisole (Levasol®) at 2 mg l-1 via immersion for 8 h once weekly for 3 wk; (2) levamisole at a dose of 2.5 mg kg-1 biomass via feed once daily for 7 d; (3) emamectin benzoate (Slice®) at a dose of 0.05 mg kg-1 biomass via feed once daily for 7 d; and (4) control. Emamectin successfully eliminated live nematodes in 84.9% of the fish, whereas the administration of levamisole, either via immersion or feed, was not successful in significantly reducing the number of live P. rubra. In 2007, the administration of the same dosage of emamectin to approximately 1000 naturally infected yearling striped bass was associated with a 100% mortality rate of P. rubra in the 30 fish randomly examined 5 wk after the beginning of the treatment. Results of these trials indicate that, at the dosage used, the administration of emamectin at the end of the summer is safe for striped bass yearlings and considerably reduces the prevalence and intensity of the infection by this parasite.

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Health status evaluation of striped bass ( Morone saxatilis ) exposed to low temperature in sea cage culture during the grow‐out

Aquaculture Research ◽

10.1111/are.15093 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Oscar B. Del Rio‐Zaragoza ◽

Bruno Cavalheiro Araújo ◽

María Teresa Viana

Keyword(s):

Health Status ◽

Low Temperature ◽

Striped Bass ◽

Morone Saxatilis ◽

Cage Culture ◽

Sea Cage

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Feeding ecology of early life stages of striped bass (Morone saxatilis) along an estuarine salinity-turbidity gradient, St. Lawrence Estuary, Canada

Journal of Plankton Research ◽

10.1093/plankt/fbz031 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 41 (4) ◽

pp. 507-520 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

L Vanalderweireldt ◽

P Sirois ◽

M Mingelbier ◽

G Winkler

Keyword(s):

Striped Bass ◽

Feeding Ecology ◽

Early Life ◽

Morone Saxatilis ◽

Early Summer ◽

Gut Contents ◽

Life Stages ◽

Early Life Stages ◽

Lawrence Estuary ◽

Feeding Niche

Abstract After being extirpated from the St. Lawrence River in the 1960s, striped bass (Morone saxatilis) were reintroduced to the estuary in 2002 and by 2008, they were naturally reproducing. To document the habitat use and feeding ecology of this reintroduced population, we examined the gut contents of 333 larvae and juveniles. Samples were collected in four estuarine habitats in 2014: the upstream freshwater section (UP), the oligohaline (O-ETM) and the mesohaline (M-ETM) estuarine turbidity maximum zones, and the downstream polyhaline section (DOWN). In June, pelagic larvae developed in the UP and the O-ETM, feeding mainly on copepods such as Eurytemora affinis. The O-ETM exhibited better suitable feeding conditions compared to the UP, likely due to the presence of Bosmina sp. as a primary prey. After July, striped bass shifted to larger prey items, consuming mainly dipteran pupa in upstream littoral habitats and gammarids and mysids in downstream habitats. In the early summer, the UP provided a high-quality nursery habitat and as the season progressed, the smallest juveniles dispersed downstream and improved their feeding success by exploiting a new feeding niche. This observation suggests that being distributed throughout the estuary may increase the potential survival of striped bass early life stages.

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