Spatial and Temporal Variation in Abundance of Black Sea Bass (Centropristis striata) in the Maryland Coastal Bays

Black sea bass (Centropristis striata) is a warm temperate species that is associated with structured habitats along the Atlantic Coast of the United States. It is considered a data poor stock, and the lack of information about the abundance and life history of juvenile black sea bass in estuarine habitats is a major concern. We analyzed monthly trawl survey data from MD-DNR from 1989-2013, and used catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) as an indicator of abundance of black sea bass in the Maryland Coastal Bays. The highest CPUE occurred at sites closest to the inlets in northern Bays, Sinepuxent Bay and southern part of Chincoteague Bay, which suggests the occurrence of suitable settlement substrates in the areas. CPUE was mostly highest in July or August, and varied between years, but showed no trend over time. Juvenile black sea bass had an average growth rate of 0.74mm/day, ranging from 0.59 to 1.02mm. Average length attained by the fish in September was significantly larger in the northern than southern bays (p<0.05). This information will be used as a basis for designing future studies to use traps to assess the abundance of the fish, and examine its movement within the coastal lagoons.