Maryland's young striped bass index rises to 5.5, best since 2018 but still below average

Maryland's Chesapeake Bay striped bass had a better spawn in 2026, but not a good one. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources said Oct. 19 that this year's juvenile striped bass survey produced a young-of-year index of 5.5. That is the highest since 2018, yet it marks the eighth year in a row below the long-term average of 10.8. The index was 4.0 in 2025 and 2.0 in 2024.

Biologists sample 22 sites in the Choptank, Nanticoke and Potomac rivers and the upper Bay three times each summer with a 100-foot beach seine. The index is the average number of juvenile stripers 3 inches or smaller per haul across 132 hauls. This year crews caught 723 young striped bass, with the upper Bay and Choptank doing best. The fish were also spread more widely than in recent years, which DNR says shows suitable nursery habitat throughout.

Fishing and Boating Services Director Michael Luisi said the agency is encouraged by the improvement, but ongoing low recruitment is expected to slow rebuilding of the coastwide stock. A benchmark Atlantic striped bass stock assessment is underway and expected to finish peer review in spring 2027.

There was better news for forage. Young Atlantic menhaden were abundant, Atlantic silversides were at their highest numbers in more than a decade, and American shad reproduction was above average in the Potomac and upper Bay. In all, the survey caught nearly 72,000 fish of 61 species.

Photo: DNR biologists seining a Nanticoke River site during the juvenile survey. Joe Zimmermann/Maryland DNR.

This is a The Gillnet news desk summary, not a reprint.

Source: Maryland Department of Natural Resources — Maryland Striped Bass Reproduction Index Higher for 2026 But Below Average For Eighth Straight Year (Oct. 19, 2026).