The striped bass is and anadromous species. This means that it moves from salt water to fresh or brackish water to spawn. The species is found along the entire east and west coasts. They spawn from mid-February in southern regions to late June or July in the northern areas. Spawning occurs at or near the surface in water temperatures that range form 10 –23 degrees Celsius. When the larval striped bass reach about 13 mm they form small schools and move inshore while juveniles move down river into higher salinity waters during their first summer or autumn.

Striped bass along the Atlantic coast including those in and around Ramford Bay, follow one of two migration scenarios, up river spawning migration or coastal migrations that are not associated with spawning activity. The spawning migration runs from late winter to early spring. Coastal migrations are extensive and fish tagged in the Chesapeake during the winter have been recaptured during the summer in the Bay of Fundy.

The primary production areas for striped bass on the Atlantic coast are the Hudson and Delaware rivers and tributaries of Chesapeake Bay. The moratorium on commercial fishing for Hudson river stripers has dramatically increased the numbers of fish in that area making it the most productive estuary for stripers on the East coast. PCB contamination in the Hudson is the major contributing factor for the moratorium. Overfishing and poor water quality in the spawning and nursery habitats of the Chesapeake have severely impacted striper reproduction.

Since 1990 total landings have increased steadily form 1,300 metric tons (mt) to 9,900 mt in 1997. Commercial catches are attributed to gillnets, hook and line and pound nets. Recreational harvest was estimated to be 5,800 mt. Striped Bass are managed under a fishery management plan developed by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. Management measures include size limits; seasonal closures recreational bag limits and commercial catch quotas.

During the mid-1980s, stringent management measures were adopted by states from North Carolina to Maine in an attempt to rebuild the Chesapeake stocks. This has resulted in strong year classes at regular intervals. Delaware and Hudson stocks have produced strong year classes in recent years and should continue to increase.