Description
Potentially Misidentified Species - Morone saxatilis is native; the hybrids (Morone saxatilis X Morone chrysops; Morone saxatilis X Morone americana) are artificial and introduced; Morone mississippiensis was introduced to the Susquehanna and Delaware rivers (Bean 1893) and is apparently extinct in those rivers.
Taxonomy
| Kingdom | Phylum | Class | Order | Family | Genus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Animalia | Chordata | Osteichthyes | Perciformes | Moronidae | Morone |
Synonyms
Invasion History
Chesapeake Bay Status
| First Record | Population | Range | Introduction | Residency | Source Region | Native Region | Vectors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | Established | Unknown | Introduced | Unconfirmed | North America | North America | Fisheries(Fisheries Intentional) |
History of Spread
Morone chrysops (White Bass) have been introduced into several Atlantic (VA-GA) and eastern Gulf coast drainages and in western U.S. (Lee et al. 1980; Page and Burr 1991). Introduced to Ohio drainages in VA (New and Holston Rivers)(Jenkins and Burkhead 1993) and MD; the latter in Deep Creek Lake, Garrett County, was unsuccessful (Lee et al. 1976). In Canada, it was confined to the Great Lakes, but colonized the St. Lawrence River as far as Quebec City by 1944 and Lake Winnipeg by 1963 (Scott and Crossman 1973). A population of Morone chrysops became established in the San Joaquin drainage CA, and was apparently eradicated at the cost of 'hundreds of thousands of dollars' because of threats to salmonid and Striped Bass populations (Moyle et al. 1986; Courtenay and Moyle 1992). Morone chrysops have colonized the Hudson River estuary via the Erie Canal (Smith and Lake 1990).
Morone chrysops has been introduced to a number of reservoirs in the Chesapeake drainage, but it does not seem to have spread extensively through river systems or reached tidal waters (Jenkins and Burkhead 1993). Introductions are known from VA (Jenkins and Burkhead 1993) and PA (Denoncourt et al. 1975b), but apparently not in the MD area of the Chesapeake basin (Lee et al. 1976; Lee et al. 1981). Rodhe et al. (1994) note that introductions were most successful in Piedmont and mountain reservoirs. However, White Bass are used as brood stock for Striped Bass x White Bass hybrids reared in aquaculture, so escapes are possible from this source, though precautions (screens on water pipes; etc.) are required (Harrell 1996). Illegal introductions by anglers are also possible (Jenkins and Burkhead 1993).
James River- M. chrysops was introduced to a reservoir near the Fall Line in 1976 (Jenkins and Burkhead 1993).
York River - M. chrysops was not stocked, but a single fish (state and world record holder) was caught in Lake Orange (upstream of Lake Anna) in 1989), possibly an illegal angler introduction (Jenkins and Burkhead 1993).
Potomac River- M. chrysops was stocked in 1976, apparently in Occoquan Reservoir (map record) not far from tidal waters of the river (Jenkins and Burkhead 1993). The present status of this population is unknown. Fishermen's websites have reported this fish in the tidal Occoquan River, but this could refer to hybrid bass (M. saxatilis x M. chrysops).
Susquehanna River - M. chrysops were introduced to two reservoirs (Snyder and Centre Counties) in PA in 1971 (Denoncourt et al. 1975b). A single fish was caught in the middle Susquehanna in 1969; possibly the result of an earlier introduction (Denoncourt et al. 1976a).
Delaware River - Seven M. chrsyops were planted in Brandywine Creek, DE, 1888 (Raasch and Altemus 1991), and this species was later reportedly introduced in reservoirs in five Delaware Basin counties (Bruce, Silver, Beech Lakes, Pike and Wayne) in PA (Fowler 1919; Fowler 1948), but there is no recent information on these populations. This species is not listed for Delaware estuary by Horwitz (1986).
History References - Courtenay and Moyle 1993; Denoncourt et al. 1976b; Fowler 1919; Fowler 1948; Horwitz 1986; Jenkins and Burkhead 1993; Lee et al. 1976; Lee et al. 1980; Lee et al. 1981; Moyle et al. 1986; Page and Burr 1991; Rohde et al. 1994; Scott and Crossman 1973
Invasion Comments
Native Region - St.Lawrence; Great Lakes; southern Hudson Bay drainage; Mississippi basin; Quebec through Manitoba south to LA and NM (Rio Grande). (Page and Burr 1991).
Ecology
Environmental Tolerances
| For Survival | For Reproduction | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum | Maximum | Minimum | Maximum | |
| Temperature (ºC) | 0.0 | 34.4 | 12.5 | 26.1 |
| Salinity (‰) | 0.0 | 20.0 | 0.0 | |
| Oxygen | ||||
| pH | ||||
| Salinity Range | fresh-oligo |
Age and Growth
| Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Adult Size (mm) | ||
| Typical Adult Size (mm) | ||
| Maximum Adult Size (mm) | ||
| Maximum Longevity (yrs) | ||
| Typical Longevity (yrs |
Reproduction
| Start | Peak | End | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reproductive Season | |||
| Typical Number of Young Per Reproductive Event |
|||
| Sexuality Mode(s) | |||
| Mode(s) of Asexual Reproduction |
|||
| Fertilization Type(s) | |||
| More than One Reproduction Event per Year |
|||
| Reproductive Startegy | |||
| Egg/Seed Form |
Impacts
Economic Impacts in Chesapeake Bay
The scarcity of Morone chrysops (White Bass), and lack of range expansion in the Chesapeake drainage since its introduction (Jenkins and Burkhead 1993), suggest that it poses little risk of competition or hybridization for local Striped Bass and White Perch stocks, but further introductions in the lower drainage seem unwise. Adult fish are being kept in ponds in the drainage for broodstock for hybrid Striped Bass aquaculture, but precautions (screens on pipes, etc.) are required to prevent or minimize escapes (Harrell 1996).
References - Harrell 1996; Jenkins and Burkhead 1993
Economic Impacts Outside of Chesapeake Bay
Morone chrysops (White Bass) is a favorite of many anglers (Jenkins and Burkhead 1993), but inferior in size and probably in sport, to Morone saxatilis (Striped Bass). In CA, it is seen as a predator threatening existing Striped Bass and American Shad fisheries and native fish species. It was the subject of an eradication program costing 'hundreds of thousands of dollars' in the San Francisco Bay drainage after an illegal introduction (Moyle et al. 1986; Courtenay and Moyle 1993). White Bass have been introduced to river drainages in 30 states (Fuller et al. 1999).
Refs- Courtenay and Moyle 1993; Jenkins and Burkhead 1993; Moyle et al. 1986
Ecological Impacts on Chesapeake Native Species
Morone chrysops (White Bass) is kept for aquaculture broodstock (Harrell 1996) and has been stocked in several reservoirs in the Chesapeake drainage, but its present abundance in those locations is not known (Denoncourt et al. 1975b; Denoncourt et al. 1976a; Jenkins and Burkhead 1993). It has not been reported from tidal Chesapeake waters and appears to rarely enter estuaries in the Gulf region where it is native (Chambers and Sparks 1959). Concern about hybridization and competition with native Morone spp. appears to be one factor limiting further stocking (Harrell 1996). Food and habitat overlap were observed between M. chrysops and M. saxatilis (Striped Bass in an OK reservoir), but the introduced M. saxatilis population became much more numerous than M. chrysops there (Mathews et al. 1992).
References - Chambers and Sparks 1959; Denoncourt et al. 1975b; Denoncourt et al. 1976b; Harrell 1996; Jenkins and Burkhead 1993; Mathews et al. 1992
Ecological Impacts on Other Chesapeake Non-Native Species
Morone chrysops (White Bass)may be present in several reservoirs in the Chesapeake Bay drainage (Denoncourt et al. 1975; Denoncourt et al. 1976; Jenkins and Burkhead 1993) and escapes from aquaculture operations are possible (Harrell 1996) but this species is probably too rare to have significant impacts on other introduced fish populations at this time. Competition with Micropterus salmoides (Largemouth Bass) is unlikely because of differences in habitat preference (Page and Burr 1991).
References - Denoncourt et al. 1975; Denoncourt et al. 1976; Harrell; 1996; Jenkins and Burkhead 1993; Page and Burr 1991.
References
Bean, Tarleton H. (1893) The fishes of Pennsylvania, In: (Eds.) . , Harrisburg PA. Pp.Becker, George C. (1983) Fishes of Wisconsin, , Madison. Pp.
Chambers, G. V.; Sparks, A. K. (1959) An ecological investigation of the Houston Ship Channel and adjacent Bay, Publications in Marine Science of the University of Texas 6: 213-250
Courtenay, Walter R.; Moyle, Peter B. (1992) Crimes against biodiversity: the lasting legacy of fish introductions., Transactions of the North American Wildlife Conference 57: 365-372
Daniels, Robert A. (1995) Nearshore fish assemblage of the tidal Hudson River, , . Pp. 260-263
Denoncourt, Robert F.; Robbins, Timothy W.; Hesser, Robert (1975) Recent introductions and reintroductions to the Pennsylvania fish fauna of the Susquehanna River drainage above Conowingo Dam, Proceedings of the Pennsylvania Academy of Science 49: 57-58
Denoncourt, Robert; Potter, Wayne A.; Daniels, David W. (1976) A record of the white bass, Morone chrysops, from the Susquehanna River, Chesapeake Science 17: 304-305
Fowler, Henry W. (1919) A list of the fishes of Pennsylvania, Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 32: 49-74
Fowler, Henry W. (1948) A list of the fishes of Pennsylvania., Bulletin of the Board of Fish Commisioners, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania 7: 1-26
Herbold, Bruce; Moyle, Peter B (1986) Introduces species and vacant niches, American Naturalist 128: 751-760
Heyward, Louis D.; Smith, Theodore I. J.; Jenkins, Wallace E. (1995) Survival and growth of white bass Morone chrysops reared at different salinities, Journal of the World Aquaculture Society 26: 475-479
Horwitz, Richard J. (1986) Fishes of the Delaware estuary in Pennsylvania., In: Majundar, S.K., Brenner, F. J., Rhoads, A. F.(Eds.) Endangered and Threatened Species Programs in Pennsylvania.. , Philadelphia. Pp. 177-201
Jenkins, Robert E.; Burkhead, Noel M. (1993) Freshwater fishes of Virginia., , Bethesda, MD. Pp.
Jenkins, Wallace E.; Smith, Theodore I. J. (1985) Natural and induced production of striped bass hybrids in tanks, Proceedings of the Annual Conference of the Southeast Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies 39: 255-260
Lee, David S. (1976) Aquatic zoogeography of Maryland, Atlantic Naturalist 31: 147-158
Lee, David S.; Gilbert, Carter R.; Hocutt, Charles H.; Jenkins, Robert E.; McAllister, Don E.; Stauffer, Jay R. (1980) Atlas of North American Freshwater Fishes, , Raleigh. Pp.
Lee, David S.; Platania, S. P.; Gilbert, Carter R.; Franz, Richard; Norden, Arnold (1981) A revised list of the freshwater fishes of Maryland and Delaware, Proceedings of the Southeastern Fishes Council 3: 1-9
Matthews, William J.; Gelwick, Frances P.; Hoover, Jan. J. (1992) Food and habitat use of juveniles of species of Micropterus and Morone in a southwestern reservoir., Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 121: 54-66
McKeown, Paul E. (1984) Additions to ichthyofauna of the Susquehanna River with a checklist of fishes of the Susquehanna River drainage below Conowingo Dam, Proceedings of the Pennsylvania Academy of Science 58: 187-192
Moyle P B (1986) Fish introductions into North America: patterns and ecological impact., Ecological Studies: Analysis and Synthesis 58: 27-43
Page, Lawrence M.; Burr, Brooks M. (1991) Freshwater Fishes., , Boston. Pp.
Raasch, Maynard S.; Altemus, Vaughn L., Sr. (1991) Delaware's freshwater and brackish water fishes: a popular account, , Wilmingotn, Delaware. Pp.
Renfro, William C. (1959) Survival and migration of fresh-water fishes in saltwater, Texas Journal of Science 11: 172-180
Rohde, Fred C.; Arndt, Rudolf G.; Lindquist, David G.; Parnell, James F. (1994) Freshwater fishes of the Carolinas, Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware., , Chapel Hill NC. Pp.
Scott, W. B.; Crossman, E. J. (1973) Freshwater fishes of Canada, , Ottawa. Pp.