A little good news swimming in the Bay

There are lots of baby rockfish swimming in Rappahannock, York and James River watersheds, according to the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, which samples the population of fish hatched this spring. VIMS researchers haul a seine in designated spots in the watersheds and count the number of fish in each haul. This year’s striped bass seine survey recorded 27 baby stripers per haul, significantly higher than the 7.5 fish caught historically. In Virginia, the agency says, the numbers have been above average since 2003. What it means is that when the small rockfish grow up to catchable size in three to four years, there should be plenty for both commercial fishermen and recreational anglers to land. Read more about the survey here.

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