With financial support provided by the North Carolina Marine & Estuary Foundation, 50,000 5- to 8-inch Striped Bass were grown out at the Edenton National Fish Hatchery over the summer and released into the Cape Fear River below Lock and Dam #1 in Bladen County this month. As part of the stocking strategy, more than 170,000 1- to 2- inch Striped Bass were also stocked into the river earlier this spring. Although various numbers and sizes of Striped Bass have been stocked into the Cape Fear River for decades, this year’s stocking is different. For the first time in the Cape Fear system, the source broodfish (spawning adults) used for hatchery production originated from the Cooper River in South Carolina. Why is this unusual? Since 2010, broodfish used to produce Striped Bass for stocking into the Cape Fear River have been taken from within the river to maintain genetic consistency. However, for many years prior, the broodfish used for hatchery production were taken from the Roanoke River. The introduction of Roanoke River fish (and their genetics) likely led to the replacement of the original wild strain of Cape Fear River Striped Bass. Environmental conditions in these two North Carolina rivers are quite different. Additionally, Striped Bass populations south of Cape Hatteras typically remain in their home rivers and do not migrate to the ocean, whereas older Striped Bass from the Roanoke River system have been documented migrating as far north as the Gulf of Maine.
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