Along the Atlantic coast, black sea bass are divided into two stocks for management purposes. The northern stock resides north of Cape Hatteras and is seasonally migratory. The southern stock, south of the Cape, and is not migratory. Spawning in the mid-Atlantic region takes place in deeper waters off the continental shelf from June through October. Female black sea bass usually mature by ages 2-5 and produce approximately 280,000 pelagic eggs which are buoyant and contain a single oil globule.
Larval development occurs in coastal waters.
As juveniles, they typically move inshore to the lower Chesapeake Bay during April and remain until December. They have been captured as far north as the mouth of the Chester River. They become bottom dwellers and find shelter in areas with structure. Here, they feed primarily on crustaceans such as shrimp, amphipods, and isopods. Most black sea bass are hermaphrodites and have the ability to change sexes.