Seasonal Movement and Habitat Use by Striped Bass in the Combahee River, South Carolina

Abstract

Adult striped bass Morone saxatilis (N = 30, 656–906 mm total length) were captured by electrofishing during January–March 1998 in the Combahee River, South Carolina, and fitted with radio transmitters. Their exact locations were recorded biweekly through December. From January to early April, striped bass were located in the tidally influenced lower region of the river in water temperatures ranging from 9°C to 18°C. The fish then moved an average of 38.5 km upstream from late April to the end of May when water temperatures ranged from 18°C to 26°C. Striped bass remained in the upper region of the river from late May to September when water temperatures were as much as 5°C lower than in the river's lower regions. Striped bass began to move downstream and were spread throughout the river during September and October in water temperatures ranging from 19°C to 27°C. Combahee River striped bass appear to follow a migratory pattern typical of other southern striped bass stocks. Habitat preference appears to be strongly influenced by temperature. Combahee River temperatures are stable and remain close to the preferred temperatures of striped bass during summer extremes. Therefore, unlike northern populations, southern populations are more likely to remain within riverine habitat during the summer months. Discrete thermal refugia, such as springs, apparently are not used or are absent in the Combahee River. It is possible that striped bass in the Combahee River depend on the entire upper region of the river as a thermal refuge.

Habitats essentiels des larves et des juvéniles de la nouvelle population de bar rayé du Saint-Laurent /

“…The reintroduced population exploits an area more than two times greater than that presumed to haven been occupied by the extirpated (historical) St. Lawrence Estuary population (Pelletier 2009). These results confirm the highly adaptable nature of striped bass behavior; these characteristics are also exemplified by the diversity of life-history strategies exhibited all along the East Coast of North America (Merriman 1941, Rulifson & Dadswell 1995, Bjorgo et al 2000.…”

Seasonal, locational and size variations in mercury and selenium levels in striped bass (Morone saxatilis) from New Jersey

“…The main breeding areas for striped bass are the Hudson-Raritan, Delaware Bay, and Chesapeake Bay estuaries. The populations of striped bass from Chesapeake Bay to the Bay of Fundy are considered anadromous and highly migratory (Rulifson and Dadswell, 1995; Bjorgo et al, 2000). Striped bass in New Jersey waters (e.g.…”

Seasonal Use of a New England Estuary by Foraging Contingents of Migratory Striped Bass

“…Distribution of striped bass is often related to temperature, bathymetry, and prey. Within estuaries, temperature influences nonspawning striped bass distribution (Coutant and Benson 1990;Bjorgo et al 2000;Able and Grothues 2007;Ng et al 2007;Wingate and Secor 2007). In many estuaries, striped bass concentrate near shorelines (Ng et al 2007), structures (Haeseker et al 1996), creek mouths (Waldman et al 1990;Tupper and Able 2000), and other complex habitats (confluences, mussel beds; Harding and Mann 2003).…”

“…These studies show that after the spawning season, Atlantic striped bass migrate north along the coast before returning south in the fall to the area where they overwinter (Boreman and Lewis 1987;Waldman et al 1990). Recent acoustic telemetry studies of other coastal populations (Haeseker et al 1996;Carmichael et al 1998;Bjorgo et al 2000) provide multiple detection data on individual striped bass that inhabit coastal systems. These fish, however, do not typically move long distances north-south along the coast.…”