Preliminary results from an ongoing, long-term survey conducted by William and Mary’s Virginia Institute of Marine Science suggest that an average class of young-of-year striped bass was produced in the Virginia tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay in 2026. The striped bass is an important top predator in the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem and a valuable resource for commercial and recreational anglers. The 2026 year class, representing fish hatched this spring, will reach fishable sizes in three to four years. The species is also called rockfish. The VIMS Juvenile Striped Bass Seine Survey recorded a mean value of 9.52 fish per seine haul in the Virginia portion of the Chesapeake Bay. The 2026 value is an increase from 5.12 fish per seine haul recorded in 2025, though both years are similar to the historical average (7.77 fish per seine haul) observed in Virginia tributaries. The improvement in recruitment observed in 2025 and 2026 is consistent with historically observed patterns years with b...