Selling Stripers illegally in fish markets

[bababooey]

Aren't those stripers supposed to be tagged? $3.99/lb is pretty cheap about the same price as bluefish. Don't know how they could raise striped bass at a fish farm and sell them at wholesale so the market would still make a profit at $3.99

[dogfish]

Don't know how they could raise striped bass at a fish farm and sell them at wholesale so the market would still make a profit at $3.99

I think you're right. On one hand the bass in the photo seem to have disjointed or broken stripes which is sometimes an indication of farm raised hybrid fish. This info I found lists the average wholesale price at $4/lb. There has to be a fair profit margin somewhere above that for the retailer. from www.fishchoice.com

Market Report updated December 2011
Prices for this upscale fish have been relatively steady this year, with distributors buying whole fish for about $4/lb. delivered, depending on size. Even at that price, farming of hybrid striped bass is still only moderately profitable, limiting the industry's growth.
U.S. production of hybrid stripers has actually declined since 2009 after the largest striped bass farm in the country gave up on fish and switched to growing algae for the biofuel industry. That farm, which raised fish in recirculating tanks in the desert near California's Salton Sea, produced between 3 to 4 million pounds of fish a year.
The two biggest farms producing hybrid striped bass, one of which is in South Texas and one in southern Mississippi, use ponds and produce between 2 and 3 million pounds a year. A number of smaller farms for hybrid stripers are in North Carolina. Unlike the farms in Texas and Mississippi, which harvest fish all year, North Carolina farmers have to harvest all their fish by the fall due to the low water temperatures.
Hybrid stripers remain popular with restaurants looking to serve smaller whole fish, often in Asian-style preparations.
Buying Tips

size-taste-texture

• Size ranges from 1-3 lbs.
• Mild in taste
• Delicate texture

seasonality

• Fall

sourcing
Hybrid striped bass has a milder flavor than wild bass. It has pink, firm flesh, a sweet smell, bright red gills, and the skin is edible. They can also be distinguished by their disjointed stripes. A limited supply of hybrid striped bass is available year-round, although production is heaviest in the fall. A pond facility where the water quality is not monitored may produce an off flavor. Bass raised in closed-circulating systems can be more expensive than those raised in ponds due to production costs, according to some buyers.

[DarkSkies]

I have been doing some research on hybrids and discovered this about the market for the East Coast.
Thought some members would find these articles interesting.

SRAC: Hybrid Striped Bass
http://srac.msstate.edu/hybridbass.html

Hybrid Striped Bass - Biology and Life History
https://srac.tamu.edu/index.cfm/getF...hfactsheet/54/



The Hybrid Striped Bass: Aka - Cherokee Bass - Kentucky Bass
The White Bass and Striped Bass cross
http://www.stripers247.com/Hybrid-striper.php

[DarkSkies]

They also have some other names,
Sunshine Bass.....
If you have any additional names or info feel free to add, thanks!

[buckethead]

I have caught some in the reservoir. They put up a tremendous fight and hit like a freight train. folks often confuse the two species when they are sold in fish markets.