STriped Bass StockingNorth Carolina Marine & Estuary Foundation
- Number of Fish Stocked Since 2023: 5M+
- Locations Stocked: Roanoke River, Albemarle Sound, & Cape Fear River
- Phases Stocked: Fry, Juveniles, & Sub-Adults
- Cost per Partnership: $10,000 paid annually
Overview
In 2023, the Foundation announced a three-year partnership with two state agencies to financially support the stocking of striped bass in the Albemarle Sound and Roanoke River. Since then, our restoration efforts have expanded to include federal partners and an additional stocking location in the Cape Fear River.
The Issue
In recent years, striped bass in the Albemarle Sound and Roanoke River have experienced low natural production, leading to a decline in female broodfish returning to spawn each spring. These recruitment failures have earned this fishery a “depleted” FINDEX status. And in 2024, for the first year ever, there was no striped bass harvest season in the Albemarle Sound, just as it has been in the Cape Fear River for over 15 years.
Our Solution
In response to recent recruitment failures and the lack of a harvest season, the North Carolina Marine & Estuary Foundation teamed up with federal and state agencies to restore the striped bass populations in some of the most depleted areas. To kickstart recovery of these populations, they must first be replenished.
How it Works
Adult broodfish (fish in spawning condition) are transported alive from the upper Roanoke River spawning grounds to the hatchery. Each broodfish is injected with hormones and placed in a spawning tank. Twenty-four hours later, the female broodfish releases her eggs for the male broodfish to fertilize. Once the eggs hatch and become fry (2-4 days old), they can be stocked as is or transferred into ponds on hatchery grounds to grow into juveniles (1-2 inches) or sub-adults (5-8 inches). In 2024, more than 2.4 million fry, 425,000 juveniles, and 130,000 sub-adults were grown and stocked into the Roanoke River and Albemarle Sound.
What’s Next?
With more than 5 million striped bass stocked over two years, our Foundation enters the third year of our stocking partnerships with the NC Wildlife Resources Commission and the NC Division of Marine Fisheries.
With millions of striped bass stocked annually, it’s important to determine if they’re working. To answer that question, our Foundation also financially supports the genetic evaluation of these stockings.
Striped Bass
