Interannual Variation in Female Reproductive Energetics: The Importance of Energy Reserves on Chesapeake Bay Striped Bass Reproductive Potential

The reproductive potential of fish populations is inherently tied to female demographics.  Nevertheless, the full spectrum of female characteristics often is ignored in population assessments, leading to overly optimistic predictions of both recruitment and population resiliency.  Female energetic condition is one factor frequently dismissed in population assessments despite strong physiological ties to reproduction.  For females preparing to spawn, the energy state prior to and during vitellogenesis can influence reproductive potential through both fecundity and egg quality.  Consequently, knowing the female energy demographics of a stock could improve recruitment predictions.  Here we explore the female demographics of Chesapeake Bay striped bass during the spawning season to understand interannual variability in energetic condition, its influence on reproductive potential and possible links to prey resources and climate patterns.  Our results show strong annual differences in liver and visceral energy reserves, ovary quality and fecundity.  During years of high female energy reserves, ovary quality and fecundity were greater, and a significant proportion of the variance in fecundity could be explained by female energy reserves.    Stable isotopes (δ¹³C, δ¹⁵N) and correlations with Atlantic menhaden recruitment indices suggest these interannual patterns may be driven by prey availability, however the role of temperature and climate cannot be overlooked.