DNR Survey Finds Good News For Rockfish Population

EASTON, Md. (AP) -- Good news for Maryland's rockfish population.

A survey has found the juvenile striped bass population is the eighth highest since recording began in 1954.

The Department of Natural Resources survey measures spawning success. It found an average of 24.2 juvenile fish per sample. That's about double the long-term average of 11.9.

Eric Durell, a DNR fisheries biologist, says the higher juvenile population is a good sign for the future.

The Easton Star-Democrat reports that the juvenile population peaked in 1996 after a moratorium on the striped bass fishery in the mid-1980s.

Striped bass are commonly called rockfish.

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