Delaware River Striped Bass 2013 Survey

[clamchucker]

Seems to be status quo and comparable to last year. This is interesting to me because a lot of my friends who fish all parts of the Delaware claim it was a slow bass season for them.



http://www.fishandboat.com/images/reports/2013bio/6x06_27_dela_stripers.pdf



Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission Biologist Report Delaware Estuary
Delaware and Philadelphia Counties
2013 Striped Bass Survey
The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) assessed the striped bass spawning stock in the Delaware Estuary between May 7 and 22, 2013. The survey was
conducted at 21 index sites ranging from the mouth of Rancocas Creek, NJ (river mile 109) downriver to the mouth of Raccoon Creek, NJ (river mile 80). Each index site was sampled twice using an electrofishing boat during daylight hours.

A total of 374 striped bass were captured in 2013. Males accounted for 68% of the total catch and ranged from 6 to 37 inches long, while females accounted for 11% of the total catch and ranged from 18 to 48 inches long. Sex could not be determined for the remaining 21% of fish, mainly because they were small, sexually immature juveniles. Those fish ranged from 6 to 24 inches in length.

The 2013 catch rates were very similar to their corresponding long-term averages computed from 1996 to 2012. In 2013, average catch rates were as follows: 19.5 fish/hr for total catch; 11.7 fish/hr for striped bass ≥12 inches; and 1.9 fish/hr for striped bass ≥28 inches (see Figure 1).
The catch rate of slot size striped bass (20 to 26 inches), applicable to angling in April and May in Pennsylvania, was 2.5 fish/hr in 2013, which was lower than the corresponding catch rates observed in 2011 (4.3 fish/hr) and 2012 (6.1 fish/hr). Slot size fish are primarily males.

[clamchucker]

Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission Biologist Report 05101520253035Total Catch≥12 Inches≥28 InchesAverage Catch Rate (fish/hr)Striped BassLong-term (1996-2012)2013
Figure 1. Average catch rates of striped bass captured in the Delaware Estuary between May 7 and 22, 2013 compared to corresponding long-term averages (1996 to 2012). Vertical black bars shown are error bars.

A total of 270 striped bass ≥16 inches were tagged with a pink colored U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reward tags in 2013 (see photo), as part of a multi-state, coastwide effort. Information gathered from tagging programs is dependent upon angler reports. Tag reports allow fisheries biologists to monitor coastal movement patterns, determine where fish are harvested, estimate annual fishing mortality, and document angler release rates.

Between 1995 and 2012, the PFBC tagged a total of 3,946 striped bass in the Delaware Estuary. As of December 31, 2012, 17% of the 3,946 tagged fish had been reported as caught. Recreational anglers have accounted for 90% of the tagged fish caught, while commercial fishermen have accounted for just 7%. Reporting rates, however, vary greatly between these groups. Three percent of the tagged fish caught have been credited to other collectors, such as scientific researchers.

[clamchucker]

Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission Biologist Report Note the three inch pink spaghetti-like tag near the tip of the left pectoral fin. Please report reward tags to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service by calling 1-800-448-8322.

Striped bass tagged by the PFBC in the Delaware Estuary have been caught by anglers fishing waters ranging from North Carolina to Massachusetts. Since 1995, approximately 75% of the tagged striped bass have been caught in New Jersey, Maryland, and Delaware, while the remaining 25% have been caught in Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New York, Virginia, Rhode Island, North Carolina, and Connecticut. See Figure 2 for the state-by-state breakdown.

Fifty percent of the tagged fish caught have been released; 48% have been harvested; and 2% have been found dead, dying, or have been used for scientific research.

Recreational and commercial fishermen have harvested 48% and 78% of their striped bass catches, respectively. The ratio of female to male striped bass in the harvest has been 1.5 to 1, indicating substantially more harvest pressure on the female segment of the population.

[clamchucker]

Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission Biologist Report

1%3%17%15%7%43%4%0%3%5%1%0%10%20%30%40%50%
NC VA MD DE PA NJ NY CT RI MA UN

Percent of Tag Returns

State of Recapture1995 to 2012N = 683

Figure 2. Percent of tag returns by state of recapture for striped bass tagged by the PFBC in the Delaware Estuary between 1995 and 2012.
UN = unknown recapture location.

Angler reports from the Pennsylvania portion of the Delaware Estuary were mixed in 2013. Some areas that were very productive in 2012, such as the shoreline area along Hog Island Road behind Philadelphia International Airport, were less productive in 2013, while some areas which have consistently provided good action continued to provide excellent catches in 2013, although feedback from anglers indicated that even at these locations catches may not have come as readily as they had in 2012.

Despite the mixed reports, fishing should continue to be good during April and May in the future based on the high number of small, young fish observed in 2013, particularly fish from what appeared to be the 2010 and 2011 year classes. Typical baits include blood worms, clams, eels, and legally caught fish, such as white perch. Lures are also productive at times.

[clamchucker]

Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission Biologist Report

Fishing regulations in the Delaware River and Estuary vary by state, location (tidal vs. non-tidal), and month. If you plan to fish for striped bass in the Delaware River and Estuary, it is recommended that you review the Pennsylvania Summary of Fishing Regulations and Laws for the Delaware River and Estuary. Be advised that New Jersey regulations apply if you cross the PA/NJ boundary line, which is in the Estuary/River. In addition to a valid Pennsylvania fishing license, anglers targeting striped bass in the Delaware River and Estuary below Trenton Falls are required to register through the PFBC’s free on-line system, the Pennsylvania Saltwater Angler Registry (PA-SARP). Likewise, if fishing across the state line in New Jersey, Pennsylvania anglers must also register in the free New Jersey Saltwater Recreational Registry Program.

Anglers that wish to consume striped bass are advised to consult the fish consumption advisory information provided in the rear of the Pennsylvania summary book. The current one meal per month advisory was derived from samples of slot size fish (20 to 26 inches) and fish ≥28 inches collected from the Delaware Estuary in 1995. The consumption advisory will be updated in the near future, meaning revised or staying the same, based on samples of slot size fish and fish ≥28 inches collected from the Delaware Estuary in 2010, 2012, and 2013.
Greg Murphy
Area 6 Fisheries Biologist

[porgy75]

Thanks for posting that clamchucker!

[storminsteve]

A total of 374 striped bass were captured in 2013. Males accounted for 68% of the total catch and ranged from 6 to 37 inches long, while females accounted for 11% of the total catch and ranged from 18 to 48 inches long.


This is what I have a problem with. They are basing the estimate for a whole population of delaware stripers on 374 fish? ***???? How is that valid?