Pure strain white bass and striped bass are currently not cultured in Massachusetts. Although a population of hybrids is not capable of self sustaining, it may backcross with either striped bass or white bass. Life history information for striped bass and white bass is presented here in reference to the culture of hybrid striped bass in Massachusetts.
Striped bass are anadromous fish associated with coastal streams when in freshwater.
They occur along the Atlantic coast from the St. Lawrence River to the St. Johns River, Florida as well as the Gulf of Mexico and tributaries in Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. Their distribution in Massachusetts is limited to eight of 32 watersheds associated with large coastal river systems. As with the Atlantic salmon, striped bass spend the majority of their life cycle in saltwater, returning to freshwater streams to spawn. With the exception of migrations, striped bass are found near shore generally in salt and brackish waters. Striped bass appear in Massachusetts coastal waters in late spring to early summer.