Annapolis, MD (September 23, 1998) — Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Secretary John R. Griffin announced today that the 1998 striped bass (rockfish) juvenile index is 12.7, the seventh consecutive year that the index has been at or above the level indicating healthy reproduction as determined by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC).

The mild spring weather of 1998 allowed adult rockfish to spawn over an extended period, resulting in an index above the 45 year average of 10.7. The highest reproduction was observed in the Choptank and Potomac rivers, with indices of 24.4 and 10.8 respectively. The Upper Bay produced good numbers of young-of-year (YOY) striped bass, with an index of 8.3, but the Nanticoke River index of 1.1 was lower than recent years. During this year's survey, DNR biologists collected 1672 YOY striped bass.

DNR biologists have monitored the reproductive success of striped bass in Maryland's portion of the Chesapeake Bay annually since 1954. Twenty-two survey sites are located in the four major spawning systems: Choptank, Potomac, and Nanticoke Rivers, and the Upper Bay. Biologists visit each site monthly from July through September, collecting two fish samples with a 100 foot beach seine. The index is calculated as the average catch of YOY striped bass per sample.

Other important observations of the 1998 survey include an increase in the numbers of juvenile American shad and Atlantic croaker. This year's bay-wide American shad index is 4.2, up from 0.84 last year. This is the highest on record since 1960, and is an encouraging sign of the continued recovery of this species. A moratorium has closed the Chesapeake Bay shad fishery since 1980.

The Atlantic croaker index of 5.9 is the highest recorded by the survey since the mid-1970's. This is the second consecutive year of excellent recruitment for a species that was almost absent from the juvenile survey throughout the 1980's. This indicates that the excellent croaker fishing seen this year will continue.