Research Document - 1999/004
Striped bass culture in eastern Canada.
By D. Cairns, K. Robichaud-Leblanc, R. Bradford, R.H. Peterson and R. Angus
Abstract
Striped bass (Morone saxatilis) culture in eastern Canada began with experimental enhancement and rearing programs in the 1980s. Nineteen facilities have cultured striped bass in the region, but only 11 of these continue to work with the species. Eight small commercial aquaculture ventures have been initiated in southwestern New Brunswick, mainland Nova Scotia, Cape Breton Island, Prince Edward Island, and eastern Quebec. Four of these operations have ceased bass culture, and the remaining four raise bass at a small scale with limited commercial sales. The St. Andrews Biological Station has ended its striped bass program, but research and development work continues at the Huntsman Marine Sciences Centre and the Nova Scotia Agricultural College. Pilot culture projects also continue at divested federal hatcheries in Cardigan PEI and Miramichi NB. To date, major capital investment, appropriate sites and equipment, and expert husbandry have not been brought together in a single striped bass venture in eastern Canada. Reliable information on striped bass transfers and escapes is necessary for development of strains suitable for aquaculture, to evaluate potential alteration of the genetic make-up of wild stocks through interbreeding of escapees and wild fish, and to trace potential routes of disease transmission. It is recommended that a system be established to record and archive such information for eastern Canada.
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