It’s not the news we wanted to hear. After a more traditional cold and wet winter and early spring, striped bass fishermen were hopeful for a succesful spawn that lifted the Chesapeake Bay stripers out of a 6-year slump of below-average spawning. Unfortunately, as the Maryland Department of Natural Resources reported today, 2025 marks the seventh straight below-average striped bass spawn in the Chesapeake Bay (which accounts for roughly 75% of the coastwide striped bass population).
The 2025 young-of-year index measured 4.0, more than twice that of the abysmal 2023 and 2024 spawns, but still significantly below the long-term average of 11.0.
For more info on this year’s striped bass spawn, as well as how the Maryland DNR conducts the survey, read on below.
Chesapeake Bay 2025 Young-of-Year Striped Bass Survey Results
Slight improvement documented, but spawning success is still below average
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) 2025 juvenile striped bass survey recorded a young-of-year index of 4.0. This is an improvement over recent years, but still well below the long-term survey average of 11. This marks the seventh consecutive year of low spawning success for striped bass. The annual survey tracks the reproductive success of Maryland’s state fish in Chesapeake Bay.
“Management actions taken over the last decade have resulted in a healthy population of spawning-age striped bass,” said Maryland DNR Fishing and Boating Services Director Lynn Fegley. “However, continued low numbers of striped bass entering the population is a threat to this progress as there are fewer juveniles growing into spawning adults. Maryland will continue working with partner states along the coast to ensure responsible management of striped bass given recent low reproduction rates.”
During this annual survey, fishery managers sample 22 sites located in four major striped bass spawning areas: the Choptank, Nanticoke, and Potomac rivers, and the upper Chesapeake Bay. Biologists visit each site three times per summer, collecting fish with two sweeps of a 100-foot beach seine net. The index represents the average number of 3-inch or less juvenile striped bass caught in each sweep of the net.
Similar fish surveys were conducted this summer in the Patapsco, Magothy, Severn, Rhode, West, and Tred Avon rivers, and St. Clements and Breton bays. Those surveys, which were conducted outside the annual survey locations, found even fewer young-of-year striped bass.
Biologists captured more than 36,000 fish of 55 different species while conducting this year’s survey. Positive findings include three important forage species that were documented in abundance during the survey. Atlantic menhaden and bay anchovies were widespread in the Bay for the third consecutive year. Atlantic silversides were plentiful compared to last summer. These species are vital to the ecology of the Bay as a food source for many other species of fish and wildlife.