Seasonal Distribution of Black Sea Bass, Centropristis striata, in the Mid-Atlantic Bight with Comments on the Ecology and Fisheries of the Species

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Abstract
Black sea bass in the Middle Atlantic Bight spawn in the summer, at depths of 18 to 45 m, primarily from Virginia to Montauk, Long Island. Young of the year become demersal at 13–24 mm total length and enter estuarine nursery grounds. In fall black sea bass migrate south and offshore to the Chesapeake Bight where the entire population spends the winter. Larger and older fish move offshore sooner than do young of the year and winter in deeper water (73–165 m). Black sea bass may tolerate temperatures as low as 6 C but are captured in larger numbers and more frequently in waters 9 C and above. In the spring sea bass migrate inshore and to the north; adults to their coastal spawning areas, juveniles to estuarine nursery areas (including lower Chesapeake Bay). In recent years, the commercial catch per effort of sea bass has dropped and the fishery lands fewer large and medium size fish. Concurrently domestic trawling effort has decreased somewhat whereas effort by the recreational, foreign trawl, and pot fisheries has increased. Black sea bass appear to be overharvested. Because sea bass are incompletely metagonous, protogynous hermaphrodites, heavy fishing pressure may cause the sex ratio of the population to so favor females that the number of remaining males may not be sufficient to sustain adequate reproduction. Conversely, behavioral interactions among individuals in the population may act homeostatically to initiate sex reversal, thus maintaining a relatively constant (though skewed) sex ratio in the population. It is necessary to understand the mechanisms controlling sex reversal in black sea bass before the effects of fishing pressure on the population can be evaluated.

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