Hybrid striped bass

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Hybrid striped bass
Hybrid Striped Bass.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Moroniformes
Family: Moronidae
Genus: Morone
Species:

A hybrid striped bass, also known as a wiper or whiterock bass, is a hybrid between the striped bass (Morone saxatilis) and the white bass (M. chrysops). Hybrid striped bass are considered better suited for culture in ponds than either parent species because they are more resilient to extremes of temperature and low dissolved oxygen, [1] although they gravitate toward areas of moving water within impoundments. [2]

Contents

They became part of aquaculture in the United States in the late 1980s. Most producers purchase the fish young (as fry or fingerlings) and raise them in freshwater ponds. Currently, about 10 million lb (4.5 million kg) are produced annually in the United States.[ citation needed ] Hybrid striped bass are used both as a gamefish and a food fish.

Hybrid striped bass are produced two different ways. Some of these fish are produced by fertilizing eggs from white bass with sperm from striped bass; the resulting fish are also called "sunshine bass" or "Cherokee bass". Others are produced by fertilizing eggs from striped bass with sperm from white bass; the resulting fish is called a "palmetto bass".

Hybrid striped bass are known for aggressive feeding habits which makes them highly sought-after by anglers. Often schooling by the thousands, these stocked fish surface feed on baitfish such as shad. Often called "breaking", this surface feeding makes the fish visible and easy to catch on a wide array of lures and baits. Popular lures include casting spoons, buck-tail jigs, soft-body plastic fish replicas, and inline spinners.

Their quality as a hard-fighting gamefish is closely followed by their delicious firm, white, flaky meat. Many restaurants sell "striped bass" on their menus, but these are farm-raised hybrid striped bass.

Origins

Origins are from 1970s, when the first hybrids were stocked in Cherokee Lake in Tennessee.[ citation needed ] They became known as Cherokee bass, but most commonly are called 'hybrid' (Southeast) or 'wiper' (Midwest). They are stocked in dozens of large impoundments to control baitfish populations and provide sport for anglers.

Description

Hybrid striped bass can be distinguished from the striped bass by broken rather than solid horizontal stripes on the body, with solid stripes more frequent above the lateral line [1] [lower-alpha 1] and fewer interruptions posteriorly. [4] Either one or two tooth patches are present on the tongue, intermediate between the parent white bass' single tooth patch and the two parallel tooth patches of striped bass. [5] [2] A spine is present on the operculum. [2] Like white bass, wipers are deep-bodied fish, [5] but they grow larger than white bass. [2]

The world record whiterock bass is a 12.38-kilogram (27 lb 5 oz) fish caught in Greers Ferry Lake, Arkansas in 1997. [6]

Production

Produced in hatcheries, the most common hybridization is the female striped bass Morone saxatilis and the male white bass M. chrysops. This is due to the high number of eggs produced by the female striped bass. This hybrid cross, palmetto bass, typically produces a faster-growing offspring which attains larger size than the sunshine bass. The female striped bass is injected with human gonadotropin which stimulates her to lay. Usually, around a dozen male white bass are in the tank when the spawn occurs. Once the eggs are fertilized, the brood fish are removed and the eggs must stay adrift in artificial current for about 48 hours to hatch. Natural hybridization occurs between the species, but it is usually the reverse cross which would be male M. saxatilis × female M. chrysops, since the white bass eggs do not require the same degree of flotation to hatch.

Their main diet includes shad, bluegill, sunfish, fathead minnows, and black and white crappie.

Notes

  1. The first stripe below the lateral line is typically continuous, however. [3]

Related Research Articles

Bass is a generic common name shared by many species of ray-finned fish from the large clade Percomorpha, mainly belonging to the orders Perciformes and Moroniformes, encompassing both freshwater and marine species. The word bass comes from Middle English bars, meaning "perch", despite that none of the commonly referred bass species belong to the perch family Percidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White bass</span> Species of fish

The white bass, silver bass, or sand bass is a freshwater fish of the temperate bass family Moronidae. commonly around 12-15 inches long. The species' main color is silver-white to pale green. Its back is dark, with white sides and belly, and with narrow dark stripes running lengthwise on its sides. It has large, rough scales and two dorsal fins. They are widely distributed across North America, inhabiting large reservoirs and rivers. When mating in the spring, they are more often found in shallow rivers, creeks, and streams. They have been introduced in some places as sport fish and also to predate on nuisance fish, such as gizzard shad. It is the state fish of Oklahoma.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White perch</span> Species of fish

The white perch is not a true perch but is a fish of the temperate bass family, Moronidae, notable as a food and game fish in eastern North America. In some places it is referred to as "Silver Bass".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Striped bass</span> Species of fish

The striped bass, also called the Atlantic striped bass, striper, linesider, rock, or rockfish, is an anadromous perciform fish of the family Moronidae found primarily along the Atlantic coast of North America. It has also been widely introduced into inland recreational fisheries across the United States. Striped bass found in the Gulf of Mexico are a separate strain referred to as Gulf Coast striped bass.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black sea bass</span> Species of fish

The black sea bass is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a sea bass from the subfamily Serraninae which is part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the groupers and anthias. It is found in the western Atlantic Ocean, where it is an important species for commercial and recreational fisheries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moronidae</span> Family of fishes

The Moronidae is a family of percomorph fishes, commonly called the temperate basses, in the order Moroniformes. These fishes are found in the freshwaters of North America and the coastal waters of the North Atlantic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Anna</span> Reservoir in Virginia, US

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bait fish</span> Fish used as bait to attract predatory fish

Bait fish are small-sized fish caught and used by anglers as bait to attract larger predatory fish, particularly game fish. Baitfish species are typically those that are common and breed rapidly, making them easy to catch and in abundant supply.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greers Ferry Lake</span> Reservoir in Arkansas, US

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellow bass</span> Species of fish

The yellow bass is a member of the family Moronidae. This species is a deep bodied fish that possesses five to seven dark stripes laterally along the sides, the lowest few of these are often broken or disrupted anterior to the origin of the anal fin. This species is somewhat similar to two other species in the family Moronidae, the white bass and the striped bass. The yellow bass is distinguishable from both of these species by having the offset lateral stripes above the anal fin and from not possessing tooth patches on the tongue. The yellow bass differs further from the white bass by having nine to ten anal rays in comparison to eleven or thirteen. The back of the fish is usually a dark olive green, and the abdomen and sides are often a silvery yellow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tiger trout</span> Hybrid fish

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Photobacterium damselaesubsp.piscicida is a gram-negative rod-shaped bacterium that causes disease in fish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Striped bass fishing</span>

Striped bass are perciform fish found all along the Atlantic coast, from Florida to Nova Scotia. A distinct strain has historically existed in the Gulf of Mexico, but the fishery that exists there today is for stocked or reservoir-escapee fish. Striped bass are of significant value as sporting fish, and have been introduced to many areas outside their native range.

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The life zones of West Virginia allow for a diversity of habitats for fauna, varying from large lowland farming valleys bordered with forest and meadow to highland ridge flats and heavy forestland, some with rocky ridge-line peaks. The "Mountain State" harbors at least 56 species and subspecies of mammals. The state has more than 300 types of birds and more than 100 species of fish.

Fishing in Colorado has brought in a large amount of revenue for the state. In 2019 Colorado Parks and Wildlife estimated outdoor recreation contributed roughly 62 billion dollars to the state economy. Fishing was reported to be the 5th most popular outdoor activity and 110, 511 fishing and hunting combination licenses were sold. Ice fishing makes up part of this total fishing revenue and is a common annual sport for Colorado residents and out-of-state visitors. There is no legal definition of ice fishing season. Rather, people begin to ice fish once the lakes freeze over with thick enough ice. Colorado Parks and Wildlife also recommend that people always ice-fish with another person. Typically, this starts in December and ends in April for Colorado. Lakes size, depth, elevation, and seasonal weather can cause variance to the season. Once the lakes freeze over with thick enough ice, anglers go out onto the ice, drill holes through the ice, and fish for a variety of species.

References

  1. 1 2 "Hybrid Striped Bass". West Virginia Department of Natural Resources. 2023. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Field Guide: Hybrid Striped Bass (Wiper; Whiterock Bass)". Missouri Department of Conservation. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
  3. "Virginia Fishes: Hybrid Striped Bass". Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
  4. "Wiper (White/Striped Bass Hybrid)". Nevada Department of Wildlife. 2023. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
  5. 1 2 "Identifying Yellow, White, Striped and Hybrid Striped Bass" (PDF). Texas Parks & Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration. Retrieved 15 July 2023 via tpwd.texas.gov.
  6. "Bass, whiterock". The International Game Fish Association. Retrieved 16 July 2023.