MATOS - Mid-Atlantic Acoustic Telemetry Observation System

Project Title: Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries Striped Bass Study: Incorporating migration ecology into management

MATOS Project Code: DMFCS

Data Type: Data

Project Duration: April 2015 - February 2020

Project Description: As coastal striped bass abundance has shrunk from recent high levels MADMF conducted acoustic telemetry research to understand the migration ecology of striped bass in coastal waters of Massachusetts. Results will help MADMF better understand population level patterns and stability of summer aggregations in Massachusetts and inform future management decisions to maximize conservation and opportunity for anglers. Striped bass in multiple size classes were tagged in three distinct areas of coastal Massachusetts (Vineyard Sound/ Buzzards Bay, Cape Cod, and Boston Harbor) during the summers of 2015 and 2016. A total of 260 fish were tagged. Dedicated arrays for this work were active from July 2015 - January 2020.

Objectives:

Incorporate migration ecology of Striped Bass into species management at state and interstate levels

Management Benefits:

Improve adaptive capabilities of Striped Bass management
Maximize conservation and accessibility of Striped Bass along the east coast

Principal Investigator:	Ben Gahagan (Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries)
Email:	Ben.Gahagan@mass.gov

Point of Contact:	Ben Gahagan
Email:	Ben.Gahagan@mass.gov

Collaborators:

Adrian Jordaan (UMass)
Micah Dean (MADMF)
Bill Hoffman (MADMF)

Participating Organizations:

University of Massachusetts Amherst

External URL: https://www.mass.gov/service-details/striped-bass-research

MADMF Striped Bass Migration Ecology Study