Striped bass (Morone saxatilis) COSEWIC assessment and status report: chapter 10

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Existing Protection or other Status

Habitat protection

The federal Fisheries Act contains several fish habitat protection provisions. For example, under sections 34, 35 and 38, it is prohibited to carry on any work or undertaking or to deposit deleterious substances that result in the harmful alteration, disruption or destruction of fish habitat. As defined by the Act, “fish habitat” encompasses a wide variety of sites, including “spawning grounds and nursery, rearing, food supply and migration areas on which fish depend directly or indirectly in order to carry out their life processes”.

In the St. Lawrence Estuary, striped bass habitat may also be protected under Quebec legislation. The Environment Quality Act (R.S.Q., c. Q-2) gives the Department of Environment and the Wildlife and Parks Corporation (Société de la faune et des parcs) responsibility for protecting the environment, living organisms and property (section 2). Sections 20 and 22 regulate the emission, deposition issuance and discharge of contaminants into the environment. The measures made available to the Minister to enforce the Act are set out in a series of sections and in the Regulation Respecting Environmental Impact Assessment and Review. Chapter 4.1 of the Act Respecting the Conservation and Development of Wildlife (R.S.Q., c. C-61.1) and a related regulation, the Regulation Respecting Wildlife Habitats, provide for the protection of 11 types of wildlife habitat, two of which could apply to striped bass, namely fish habitat and habitat of threatened and vulnerable species.

Management of striped bass fisheries

Management of the striped bass fishery in the Maritimes is based on the premise that there are currently only two populations, i.e., that of the Miramichi River and that of the Shubenacadie River. They fall under the jurisdiction of two administrative regions of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. Fisheries in the Maritime provinces are subject to the Fisheries Act and the Maritime Provinces Fishery Regulations (SOR/93-55).

Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence

Given the evidence of a marked decline in striped bass abundance in the southern Gulf in the 1980s and 1990s, measures limiting harvesting were gradually introduced beginning in 1992 (Douglas et al. 2003). In 1992, directed commercial striped bass fisheries were closed and the first ever recreational regulations were introduced. In 1993, a minimum conservation requirement of 5,000 spawners was introduced. Abundance estimates below this level led to the complete closure of the commercial fishery, including zero tolerance for any bass bycatch, and mandatory hook and release for anglers in 1996. In 2000, all recreational fisheries were closed and all First Nations allocations for social and ceremonial purposes were suspended (Douglas et al. 2003).

Bay of Fundy

To date, there are no conservation reference points for Bay of Fundy striped bass. Recreational fishing is permitted in tidal waters year round, with the exception of the Annapolis River estuary. Recreational fishers are permitted to keep one bass over 68 cm total length per day.

There is no directed commercial striped bass fishery. However, commercial fishers of other species may keep, depending on the location, all or part of their striped bass bycatch (Douglas et al. 2003).

St. Lawrence Estuary

In Quebec, the management of anadromous and catadromous fisheries falls under provincial jurisdiction. In 1951, the commercial harvesting of striped bass was regulated to protect the species near the spawning grounds. Provincial fishing regulations prohibited striped bass fishing between December 1 and May 31. In 1951, a minimum size requirement of 30 cm was introduced, which was raised to 40 cm in 1960. Few commercial or recreational fishers complied with the regulations, and fishery officers responsible for monitoring the fisheries did not receive sufficient support from the authorities.

From 1975 to 1984, there were no regulations prohibiting recreational or commercial harvesting of striped bass. Since 1984, commercial striped bass fishing has been prohibited under the Quebec Fisheries Plan. In 1993, amendments were made to Quebec’s Fishing Regulations to prohibit recreational fishing and sale of striped bass.

Status

The striped bass population in Quebec has disappeared (Trépanier and Robitaille, 1995). In 2002, a program was launched to reintroduce striped bass to the St. Lawrence Estuary using fish collected from the Miramichi River starting in 1999. The fish were reared in fish culture stations to artificially produce fry to be used to stock the St. Lawrence Estuary.

The striped bass populations of the Saint John and Annapolis rivers have also disappeared (Douglas et al. 2003). To date, no plan has been established for the recovery of striped bass in these rivers.

No Canadian striped bass populations have been designated under federal legislation. In the United States, striped bass does not appear on the list of threatened species prepared by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

NatureServe ranks for the species (NatureServe, 2004) are G5 for the global rank, N3? for Canada, and N5 for the United States. Provincial ranks are S2 for New Brunswick, S1 for Nova Scotia, S2N for Prince Edward Island, and SX for Quebec. State ranks along the Atlantic coast are mostly S4 and S5, although in Connecticut, the rank is S3. Detailed information is presented in the Technical Summaries.