Preliminary results from an ongoing long-term survey conducted by researchers at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science suggest another average year class of young-of-year striped bass was produced in Virginia tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay in 2021.

The 2021 year class represents the group of fish hatched this spring that will grow to fishable sizes in three to four years.

The VIMS Juvenile Striped Bass Seine Survey recorded a mean value of 6.30 fish per seine haul in the Virginia portion of the Chesapeake Bay. The 2021 value—which scientists call a recruitment index—is similar to the historic average of 7.77 fish per seine haul and represents the ninth consecutive year of average or above-average recruitment in Virginia waters.

Although there can be considerable variation in striped bass recruitment among years, the indices observed in recent years suggest that abundance of juvenile striped bass in Virginia has been relatively stable.

Striped bass, also called rockfi...