MATOS - Mid-Atlantic Acoustic Telemetry Observation System

Project Title: Population connectivity of Black Sea Bass in Massachusetts Waters

MATOS Project Code: DMFBSB

Data Type: Data

Project Duration: May 2025 - on-going

Project Description: Rapidly changing ocean conditions are driving the redistribution of marine species and producing new opportunities for emerging fisheries. This is the case with black sea bass (Centropristis striata), an important recreational and commercial fisheries species that is proliferating rapidly in Massachusetts waters. Despite this emerging opportunity, there are crucial knowledge gaps surrounding the connectivity of black sea bass within Massachusetts and among stock management units along the eastern United States that hinder resilient fisheries management. Our primary objectives with this work are to understand the regional migratory patters of black sea bass and how environmental drivers influence these patterns. Preliminary tagging was conducted in Buzzards Bay, but we hope to expand tagging efforts in other areas of the state.

Objectives:

Understand population connectivity north and south of Cape Cod
Identify spawning areas
Understand seasonal migratory patterns

Management Benefits:

Understand when and where spawning occurs

Principal Investigator:	William Hoffman (Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries)
Email:	bill.hoffman@mass.gov

Point of Contact:	Bart DiFiore
Email:	bartholomew.p.difiore@mass.gov

External URL: https://www.mass.gov/orgs/division-of-marine-fisheries

MA DMF - Black Sea Bass Studies