The striped bass also referred to as the rockfish is characterized by their silvery color and dark lateral lines. Striped bass inhabit waters from the St. Lawrence river in Canada to Florida and can also be found in parts of the Gulf of Mexico. In the 1870's striped bass were introduced to the Pacific coast and now live in waters from British Columbia to the California-Mexico border.

A large anadromous fish the striped bass is also a voracious predator. Feeding habitats for the striped bass is dependent upon life stages. Larvae feed on zooplankton and juveniles feed on fish larvae, insects, worms, and amphipods. Adult striped bass feed on other fish such as bay anchovy, spot, menhaden, herring, shad, white perch and yellow perch.

Striped bass are migratory fish that can tolerate a variety of environmental conditions. They are found in riparian, estuarine and marine habitats depending upon the time of year. During the summer and winter months they move to the deep channels of the bay while in the autumn they move to the lower area of the rivers. With the onset of spring and the temperature between 13 and 20 degrees C, striped bass congregate in shallow estuaries as spawning begins. The spawning ritual begins with one female being courted by several smaller males. Nurseries are located in brackish waters not far from spawning grounds and after a year many juveniles move into the bay. Larval striped bass can also be found amongst white perch larvae. Females generally mature in 4-8 years while males mature in 2-3 years. Fecundity for striped bass is dependent upon weight; a 5 lb female may spawn up to 25, 000 eggs while a 12 lb female can spawn up to 1, 250, 000 eggs. Striped bass have a life span of 20+ years but most found over the age of 11 are females.