Northeastern Naturalist Vol. 26, No. 1 S.N. Andrews, M.J. Dadswell, C.F. Buhariwalla, T. Linnansaari, and R.A. Curry 2019 1 2019 NORTHEASTERN NATURALIST 26(1):1–30 Looking for Striped Bass in Atlantic Canada: The Reconciliation of Local, Scientific, and Historical Knowledge Samuel N. Andrews1,*, Michael J. Dadswell2, Colin F. Buhariwalla3, Tommi Linnansaari1, and R. Allen Curry1 Abstract - Morone saxatilis (Striped Bass) occurs throughout the provinces of Atlantic Canada, but its full distribution in the region is undescribed. Canadian Striped Bass populations are grouped by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) into 3 geographically distinct Designatable Units: Saint Lawrence River, Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence, and Bay of Fundy. Striped Bass also occurs in many other unclassified Canadian regions, and growing evidence suggests that some of these locations may support distinct, uncharacterized populations. The recreational fisheries for Striped Bass are rapidly increasing in popularity in Canada, and thus, it has become of great importance to both recognize the species’ full distribution and manage the fisheries therein. We compiled recent research, certified angling catches, historic accounts, grey literature, and anecdotal reports to identify coastal sites and rivers where Striped Bass have been reported. Our findings will help managers and researchers target rivers and coastal areas for assessment and study to encompass the entirety of the species’ range in Canadian waters. Our report suggests that a fourth Designatable Unit for Eastern Cape Breton Island and Northeastern Nova Scotia is needed to both monitor and manage assemblages of Canadian Striped Bass. Introduction Morone saxatilis (Walbaum) (Striped Bass) is an anadromous, temperate bass found native to the eastern coast of North America, with recognized spawning populations from the St. John’s River, FL, to the St. Lawrence River, QC, Canada (Bigelow and Shroeder 1953, Scott and Scott 1988). The distribution of Striped Bass is largely defined by the availability of rivers suitable for spawning (Hardy 1978) being of sufficient length (or tidal influence), temperature, and flow velocity to suspend their semi buoyant eggs for the ~48-h incubation period (Bain and Bain 1982, Bergey et al. 2003). Spawning occurs in flowing waters (velocity range = 30.5–500 cm/sec; Mansueti 1958) with optimal temperatures varying from 15 °C to 18 °C (Setzler et al. 1980). Nursery habitat for both larvae and juveniles is characterized by brackish water, typically located in tidal salt-marsh or warm inshore environments such as tidal flats or shallow ponds (Markle and Grant 1970, Raney 1958, Rathjen and Miller 1957, Westin and Rogers 1978). Adult Striped Bass have fewer strict habitat requirements. During summer, adults may occupy coastal rivers 1Canadian Rivers Institute, Department of Biology and Forestry and Environmental Management, University of New Brunswick, PO Box 4400, Fredericton, NB E3B 5A3, Canada. 2Department of Biology, Acadia University, Wolfville, NS B4P 2R6 Canada. 3Inland Fisheries Division, Nova Scotia Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Pictou, NS B0K 1H0, Canada. *Corresponding author - sandrew2@unb.ca. Manuscript Editor: Jay Stauffer Northeastern Naturalist 2 S.N. Andrews, M.J. Dadswell, C.F. Buhariwalla, T. Linnansaari, and R.A. Curry 2019 Vol. 26, No. 1 (either natal rivers or those visited during migration) or range extensively along the coast (Boreman and Lewis 1987) to forage in riverine, estuarine, or even offshore environments (Boreman and Lewis 1987, Rulifson and Dadswell 1995, Setzler- Hamilton and Hall 1991, Walter et al. 2003). Preferred marine inshore habitats often include areas with complex shoreline structure (tombolos, lagoons, sand beaches, and rocky shoals) and strong tidal currents (Setzler et al. 1980). Populations of Striped Bass at the center of their distribution (North Carolina to New England) are considered highly migratory and exhibit northerly movement in summer and southerly return migration in autumn (Boreman and Lewis 1987, Mather et al. 2010). Contingents of Striped Bass, the term given to different migratory groups within a population, are based on post-spawning migratory behavior (Secor 1999). Three contingents are commonly described in the literature and labeled riverine, estuarine, or migratory. These differing behaviors and environmental plasticity have allowed Striped Bass to establish populations in widely varying habitats over a large portion of the North American east coast (Gahagan et al. 2015, Morris et al. 2003). Unlike populations at the center of their range, populations at the extremes of the range remain relatively regional, likely due to thermal constraints (Bjorgo et al. 2000, Coutant 1985). At the northern extent of the range, overwintering is a critical life-history phase that typically occurs in fresh waters in deep, slow-flowing sites such as sluggish river pools or inland lakes (Coutant 1990, Rulifson and Dadswell 1995, Scott and Scott 1988). The depth and temperature of these winter habitats can vary widely (Andrews et al., in press) and have recently been found to include high-flow marine sites (Keyser et al. 2016). At the southern extent of the species’ range, freshwater habitat that remains within the species’ thermal tolerance during summer is critical (Bjorgo et al. 2000). For management purposes within Canada, populations of Striped Bass have been assigned to 3 Designatable Units (DU) by the Committee on the Status Endangered Wildlife in Canada and Fisheries and Oceans Canada (COSEWIC 2012, DFO 2014). These DUs (Fig. 1) include: the Saint Lawrence River, with a single spawning population; the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence (sGSL) DU, consisting of the Miramichi River spawning population; and the Bay of Fundy (BoF) DU, supporting the Shubenacadie–Stewiacke River population, the Saint John River (SJR) population (Leblanc et al. 2018), and historically, the Annapolis River population (COSEWIC 2012, Rulifson and Dadswell 1995). Striped Bass within each of these 3 DUs are somewhat geographically isolated, and each spawning population is genetically distinct (Leblanc et al. 2018, Wirgin et al. 1993). The sole exception is the population of the Saint Lawrence River, which after being deemed extirpated in 1966–1967 (Beaulieu 1985, Bradford et al 2001, Robitaille and Ouellette 1991) was restocked in 2002 with Miramichi-origin fish (DFO 2010), resulting in the 2 populations (St. Lawrence River and Miramichi River) being genetically indistinguishable. Commercial fisheries of Striped Bass in Canada were once operated within all management DUs, but due to population declines, all were closed by the late 1990s: SJR in 1978, St. Lawrence River in 1951, and SGSL in 1996 (Andrews et al. 2017, Northeastern Naturalist Vol. 26, No. 1 S.N. Andrews, M.J. Dadswell, C.F. Buhariwalla, T. Linnansaari, and R.A. Curry 2019 3 Bradford and Chaput 1996, Rulifson and Dadswell 1995). Population recoveries in some rivers (Miramichi, Shubenacadie; DFO 2018) in recent years, however, have promoted the rapid growth of recreational fisheries across much of the species Canadian range. Recreational fishing regulations for Striped Bass are managed separately in each DU and do not distinguish among adjacent populations of Striped Bass of differing conservation status (e.g., BoF DU). Angling for Striped Bass within the Saint Lawrence River estuary remains prohibited to promote population recovery. Within the Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence, the daily retention quota for Striped Bass was recently increased from 1 to 3 fish (spring 2017; 50–65 cm TL) per person/day in response to the rapidly recovering Miramichi River population (DFO 2018). Anglers pursuing Striped Bass in the BoF DU, however, may retain only a single Striped Bass ≥68.5 cm TL per person/day (despite the extirpated status of the population inhabiting the Annapolis River and the uncertain status of the SJR population; see Andrews et al. 2017) predominately due to a large population within the Shubenacadie River (DFO 2014). Regions not contained within a specified Striped Bass DU follow province-specific fishing regulations (i.e., Nova Scotia’s east coast; same retention size and daily quota as the BoF DU), and no licence is Figure 1. Atlantic region of Canada indicating the 3 currently recognized Designatable Units for management of Striped Bass: (1) Saint Lawrence River, (2) Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence, and (3) Bay of Fundy. Our newly proposed Designatable Unit, (4) northeastern Nova Scotia-Cape Breton is indicated by the grey crosshatching. Northeastern Naturalist 4 S.N. Andrews, M.J. Dadswell, C.F. Buhariwalla, T. Linnansaari, and R.A. Curry 2019 Vol. 26, No. 1 required to angle for Striped Bass in any location designated as tidal waters. As a result, the number of anglers, their fishing effort, success, and harvest rate is largely unknown across all management zones. All recognized spawning populations of Striped Bass in Canada occur near large population centers historically settled in Eastern Canada and the Maritime provinces (e.g., Quebec City, Saint John, Miramichi, Halifax, Annapolis Royal). These settlements were all established along major rivers or in sheltered bays, which promoted trade (by means of sheltered harbors and waterways to access areas inland) and fisheries in economically important estuaries and coastlines within their vicinity (Bradford and Chaput 1996, Chaput and Randall 1990, DFSC 1918–1951, DMF 1877–1917, LeBlanc and Chaput 1991). As a result, many early records provided observations about species (such as Striped Bass) that inhabited each locality. Such early reports sparked interest and scientific exploration within those regions, which today are recognized as the epicenters, if not the sole areas, of Striped Bass occurrence in Canada (COSEWIC 2012, Douglas et al. 2003). Moving away from these early settlements along the Atlantic coast, human population centers are minimal, and the resulting volume of natural-history observations diminishes rapidly. Accordingly, these more-distant regions were less explored, and much less is known about Striped Bass therein. Today, a growing body of research on Striped Bass and annual government reporting continuously focuses on locations with long-existing records of the species. Consequently, this focus has reinforced the idea that Striped Bass seldom occur, or do not occur, elsewhere in Eastern Canada. Methods Our observations are the combined result of accumulated historical reports, anecdotal evidence from anglers and commercial fishermen, recent research, firsthand observation, and primary literature, where available, and is an extension of previous regional reports of Striped Bass in Canada (DFO 2013, Rulifson and Dadswell 1995). The goal of this review is not to describe unknown populations, but rather, to provide a preliminary location reference for future Striped Bass studies in Canada. We have compiled this information so that we might expand the range of research and understanding across new regions and locations, some that have yet to be explored and others that may have been forgotten. Results and Discussion Labrador The first report of Striped Bass in Labrador was by an angler in the Straits of the Forteau River on 8 August 2017 (NCC 2017; Fig. 2), and a subsequent report by a local commercial fisher detailed catches of 4500 kg of Striped Bass in a single net at the same location (Fisherman’s letter in DFO Recreational Advisory 2017 presentation: Striped Bass Science). In late August 2017, a tagged Striped Bass captured at Forteau River was found to have originated from the Miramichi River (Labrador commercial fisherman letter in: Review of Striped Bass indicators of abundance, DFO 2017 presentation). Since these 3 reports, Striped Bass have been documented in numerous Northeastern Naturalist Vol. 26, No. 1 S.N. Andrews, M.J. Dadswell, C.F. Buhariwalla, T. Linnansaari, and R.A. Curry 2019 5 rivers, estuaries and bays along the Labrador coast during summer, including the Pinware River (M. Ploughman, Pinware River Salmon Angler, L’Anse-au-Loup, NL, Canada, pers. comm), Lanse-au-Claire and Port Hope Simpson (commercial fishers, Port Hope Simpson, NL, Canada, pers. comm), Barge Bay (reported at 2017 DFO Rec Advisory meeting), and extending as far north as Black Tickle (NCC 2017). Striped Bass were reported from as far north as Muddy Bay in November of 2017 (Fig.2; NCC 2018) and one Striped Bass was even captured through the ice at this location in March 2018 (Nunatukavut community fishing report, NL, Canada), indicating that the species has at least attempted to overwinter in northern regions. Overwintering locations and occurrence of Striped Bass in Labrador are completely unstudied, and prior to this first observation, the northern extent of winter habitat for Striped Bass was the Saint Lawrence estuary (Rulifson and Dadswell 1995). It has yet to be determined, however, if the recent observations of Striped Bass are a true range expansion or rather a recolonization of historic habitat due to the current high Figure 2. Sites of recent Striped Bass captures in Labrador including Forteau River, Pinware River, Barge Bay, Port Hope Simpson, and Black Tickle and the overwintering site, Muddy Bay. The Sand Hill River is also included to indicate the most northern extent of Alosa sapidissima (American Shad) spawning on the Atlantic seaboard of North America. Northeastern Naturalist 6 S.N. Andrews, M.J. Dadswell, C.F. Buhariwalla, T. Linnansaari, and R.A. Curry 2019 Vol. 26, No. 1 abundance and increasing size of Stripe Bass in the Miramichi River (DFO 2018). Migrations of Striped Bass are known to be density and size dependent (i.e., Hudson River; Grothues et al. 2009, Secor 1999, Waldman et al. 1990) and as such, it is possible that Striped Bass abundances or fish size in the Miramichi River have not been sufficient to have resulted in such a migration since record keeping began in the early 1850s (Perley 1852). Alosa sapidissima (Wilson) (American Shad), another Atlantic coastal anadromous species, which has a north–south distributional range similar to Striped Bass (Scott and Scott 1988); has a natal population in the Sand Hill River, Labrador (Fig. 2; Hare and Murphy 1974) and is known as far north on the Labrador coast as latitude 56°N (Dempson et al. 1983). As a result, it is possible that the increased number and size of Striped Bass of Miramichi-origin are sufficient to promote a northern migration to areas well within the thermal tolerances that the species may have occupied historically. While large numbers of Striped Bass were reported in Labrador in the summer of 2017, it should be noted that they were nearly absent from the region in the summer of 2018 (Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Officer, L’Anse-au-Loup, NL, Canada, pers. comm.). Researchers should explore if this difference is due to summer ocean temperatures or if declining population size for Striped Bass due to increased retention limits and unmonitored removal resulted in decreased range. A proposed Cape Breton/Eastern Nova Scotia Designatable Unit Cape Breton Island, the northern extreme of Nova Scotia, and the northeastern mainland of Nova Scotia itself offer excellent Striped Bass habitat. Regions around Bras d’Or Lake, Mira River, Framboise River, Inhabitants River, St. Mary’s River, and Porters Lake are all characterized by large expanses of summer-warm barachois waters (coastal, tidal lagoons separated from the ocean by a rock or sandbar), tidal rivers, estuaries and saltwater lakes (Table 1, Fig. 3). Striped Bass have been documented in Cape Breton since at least 1940 (e.g., Mira Bay; Bigelow and Schroeder 1953) but undoubtedly occurred there long prior. More recently, a growing number of angler reports, and a gradual increase in research interest provide further evidence that Cape Breton and the northeastern shore of Nova Scotia support Striped Bass aggregations and perhaps populations that are only partially investigated or have yet to be explored. Considering the increasing evidence of year-round habitation and possibly reproduction by Striped Bass in Cape Breton and the northeastern shore of Nova Scotia, we propose that a fourth designatable unit be established for management in this region. Bras D’Or Lake Bras d’Or Lake is a large estuary (1099 km2) contained within Cape Breton Island, NS, Canada (Fig. 4; Petrie and Bugden 2002). It is connected to the North Atlantic by 2 channels: the Great Bras d’Or Channel, through which most of the exchange of sea water occurs, and the river-like Little Bras d’Or Channel. To the South, a connection exists through the St. Peters Canal lock system, but it is a recent anthropogenic construction. Surface salinity in this marine lake varies from Northeastern Naturalist Vol. 26, No. 1 S.N. Andrews, M.J. Dadswell, C.F. Buhariwalla, T. Linnansaari, and R.A. Curry 2019 7 Table 1. Summary of Striped Bass habitat and population potential in Cape Breton and northeastern Nova Scotia for the proposed fourth Designatable Unit for Striped Bass in Atlantic Canada. Bras d’Or Lake Mira River Fourchu shore and northeastern NS Spawning habitat Anecdotal reports of spawning activity in Baddeck River during 1994. Nayanza and Skye river both have long, warm, low-salinity estuaries. Running ripe adult males angled in the freshwater, upstream portion of the system (Grand Mira South). Concentration of large, acoustically tagged fish in same location during May–June. One spent female captured during early June. Concentrations of adults in Framboise and Inhabitants rivers during May–June. Anecdotal reports of spawning activity in Inhabitants River during late May (multiple reports over 4 years). Nursery Habitat Whycocomagh Bay is very warm in summer (24 °C). Numerous angler records of small juveniles captured annually. Age-3 juveniles captured in Baddeck River during April. Numerous sand beaches along shores of the Mira. Warm summer temperatures of 25 °C occur throughout the estuary. Shoreline in region is predominately sand beaches, tombolos, and rock. Summer temperatures in the estuaries attain 23 °C. Marine water off Fourchu Beach attains 17–18 °C in summer. There are high concentrations of mysids and shrimp in Fullers Lake for juvenile feeding. Many 1–2-kg juveniles captured in Fullers Lake. Large number of small Striped Bass (less than 68.5 cm) captured in St. Mary’s River estuary in 2014. Adults Annual angling catches of many large adults including the present Nova Scotia record (25.4 kg). Adults aggregate at the high-flow region of Albert Bridge during summer–autumn. Adults captured and acoustically tagged ranged from 0.35 kg to 20.5 kg and ages 3–20 y. The majority of acoustically tagged fish remained in the estuary year-round (24 of 31) or made short excursions of 1–2 months to nearby marine habitat (6). Adults from 3–25 kg are common along Fourchu Beach, in Country Harbor, and at Rocky Run leading out of Porters Lake. Adult over 18 kg captured in Country Harbor and at Rocky Run leading out of Porters Lake. Overwintering Adults angled in winter through the ice annually off Barrachois, Malagawatch, and in East Bay. All except 2 of the 31 acoustically tagged fish aggregated from November to April during 2 winters in a deep (15–17 m), warm (3–5 °C), low salinity (10–15) region of the estuary. Anecdotal reports of overwintering in the Framboise River. Large, ripe adults captured in Rocky Run during April, possibly after overwintering in Porters Lake Northeastern Naturalist 8 S.N. Andrews, M.J. Dadswell, C.F. Buhariwalla, T. Linnansaari, and R.A. Curry 2019 Vol. 26, No. 1 16–28 ppt (Petrie and Bugden 2002). Bras d’Or Lake is sheltered and has a minimal tide (0.2 m); thus, it rapidly develops a thermocline during summer when surface temperatures average 23 °C (Petrie and Bugden 2002). Bras d’Or Lake is largely unrecognized as a possible location supporting populations of reproducing Striped Bass. This large embayment, however, produces many impressive Striped Bass caught each year by anglers, including the current Nova Scotia angling record and past World Male-Junior Record (26.8 kg, Christian Levatte; J. Vitek, IGFA record co-ordinator, Dania Beach, FL, pers. comm.) captured 25 May 2008 in East Bay (Fig. 4). Striped Bass from the Miramichi River (located ~600 km to the west) could migrate to Bras d’Or Lake. Striped Bass remains, however, were recorded from eagle nests surrounding the Bras d’Or Basin in the late 1970s and early 1980s (Cash et al. 1985), and anglers have reported regularly catching Striped Bass (>13 kg) since the late 1980s (A. Pyke, Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources, Coxheath, NS, Canada, pers. comm.), a time when the Miramichi River Striped Bass population had been nearly extirpated (Chaput and Randall 1990, Douglas et al. 2009). Today, Bras d’Or Lake is known to contain overwintering Striped Bass in areas such as at Barrachois, Malagawatch, and East Bay, where many Striped Figure 3. Proposed eastern Nova Scotia Striped Bass Designatable Unit including 7 key areas of interest requiring further study: (A) Bras d’Or Lake, (B) Nyanza Bay, (C) Whycocomagh Bay, (D) River Denys Basin, (E) Mira River, (F) Framboise River, (G) Inhabitants River, (H) Saint Mary’s River and Country Harbor, and (I) Porters Lake. Northeastern Naturalist Vol. 26, No. 1 S.N. Andrews, M.J. Dadswell, C.F. Buhariwalla, T. Linnansaari, and R.A. Curry 2019 9 Bass are caught through the ice (N. Doucette, local angler, Waycobah First Nation, NS; K. Hutchins, local angler, Marion Bridge, NS; S. Jeddore, local angler, Eskasoni First Nation, NS; and C. Paul, local angler/Unama’ki Institute of Natural Resources, Membertou First Nation, pers. comms.; Table I). Large individuals are present during the typical time of spawning (May–June) at these sites, which perhaps offer habitat to juveniles, as evidenced by the capture of 1 age-1 Striped Bass at the mouth of the Great Bras d’Or Channel in August 2015 by C.F. Buhariwalla and M.J. Dadswell. Nyanza Bay The Baddeck and Middle rivers empty into Nyanza Bay through extensive, sandy shore estuaries on the northwestern side of Bras d’Or Lake (Fig. 4B). Anglers now take Striped Bass annually in Nyanza Bay, and we have documented age-3 juveniles (otolith aging, 28.5 cm FL; M.J. Dadswell, unpubl. data) captured in late April at this location. Anecdotal observations of Striped Bass spawning in the Baddeck River were made during 1944 (Table 1; André Roy, Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada [DFO], Conservation and Protection, Sydney, NS, Canada, pers. comm.) though reports are unconfirmed. Figure 4. (A) Bras d’Or Lake in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, including inset maps of (B) Nyanza Bay, (C) Whycocomagh Bay, and (D) River Denys Basin located on the west side of the lake. Northeastern Naturalist 10 S.N. Andrews, M.J. Dadswell, C.F. Buhariwalla, T. Linnansaari, and R.A. Curry 2019 Vol. 26, No. 1 Whycocomagh Bay Whycocomagh Bay is located on the northwestern edge of Bras d’Or Lake, where it is fed by the Skye River (Fig. 4C). Due to restricted circulation between Whycocomagh Bay and the main part of Bras d’Or Lake, it has the highest summer temperatures (25 oC) and lowest salinity (16) found in the Bras d’Or system (Petrie and Bugden 2002). Striped Bass captured by anglers are recorded in Whycocomagh Bay most years, particularly small 20–30-cm FL juveniles (D. Duplisea, tourist Angler, Quebec City, QC, pers. comm.); the bay may provide nursery area due to its warm, sheltered waters. Furthermore, the Skye River has a long estuary that is characteristic of Striped Bass spawning habitat (Table 1; see Hardy 1978). River Denys Basin The River Denys flows into a constricted basin on the West side of the main Bras d’Or Lake (Fig. 4D). Striped Bass >40 cm TL have been reported by anglers during summer in the basin over the past 5 y, except for 2017 (N. Doucette; J. Gibbons, local angler, Sydney Mines, NS; and R. MacDonald, local resident, Valley Mills, NS, Canada, pers. comms.). Anglers have also reported catching Striped Bass during the winter Osmerus mordax (Mitchill) (Rainbow Smelt) fishery within the basin (N. Doucette, pers. comm.). The River Denys, like many other Bras d’Or Lake tributaries, has a long estuary characteristic of spawning habitat, but no spawning behavior has been reported there. Mira River, Cape Breton The Mira River is a 45-km-long estuarine system on the east coast of Cape Breton consisting of deep (20–30 m) lake-like sections connected by small, shallow (3 m depth) channels (Fig. 5E) in what has been described as a flooded chain-oflakes system (NSDOE 1976). The system is in a region of coastal Nova Scotia that has subsided 1.2 m over the last 1000 y and has experienced sea level rise of >1 m over the last 300 y (Bousfield and Thomas 1975, Grant 1970); thus, the river was probably invaded by sea water only 500–800 y ago, which has since created estuarine, foraging, overwintering, and possibly juvenile-rearing habitat (Buhariwalla 2018). Surface temperatures reach 25 °C and salinity varies from 0.1 to 28 during late summer (Buhariwalla 2018). Striped Bass have been known from Mira Bay since the 1940s (Bigelow and Schroeder 1953), but attention was drawn to the Striped Bass in the Mira River in 1994 when a former Nova Scotia and Canadian record was angled there (24.5 kg; D. Strong, local angler, Marion Bridge, NS, pers. comm). During 2012–2015, an extensive acoustic-tracking study of Striped Bass in Mira River was undertaken (Buhariwalla 2018). Striped Bass sampled in this study varied in size from 31 cm to 125 cm TL and in age from 3 y to 20 y. Of the 31 acoustically tagged Striped Bass, 24 remained exclusively in the estuary for the duration of the tag’s battery life (8–24 months), while 6 individuals conducted short (1–2-month) excursions out of the estuary to the Atlantic Ocean starting in late July and returning by mid-September. An overwintering site was documented in 2 consecutive winters (2013–2014 and 2014–2015) in a deep (15–17 m) section of the mid-estuary (Table 1, Fig. 5; Northeastern Naturalist Vol. 26, No. 1 S.N. Andrews, M.J. Dadswell, C.F. Buhariwalla, T. Linnansaari, and R.A. Curry 2019 11 Buhariwalla 2018). The overwintering site was utilized by 29 of the 31 tagged Striped Bass from November through early May, after which telemetered fish exhibited upstream migrations and varying degrees of freshwater residency until early July (Buhariwalla 2018); a period coinciding with spawning for Canadian Striped Bass populations (Douglas et al. 2009, Rulifson and Dadswell 1995). Movement patterns of these Striped Bass suggest that the Mira system may support a spawning Figure 5. (E) Mira River, (F) Framboise River, and (G) Inhabitants River, located on the southeastern shore of Cape Breton, NS. (H) Country Harbor and St. Mary’s River and (I) Porters Lake are located on the eastern shore of mainland Nova Scotia. Northeastern Naturalist 12 S.N. Andrews, M.J. Dadswell, C.F. Buhariwalla, T. Linnansaari, and R.A. Curry 2019 Vol. 26, No. 1 population (Buhariwalla 2018). While a spawning site was never documented during the study, local anglers captured running-ripe males in the upstream portion of the system (Grand Mira South; K. Hutchins, A. Hunt pers. comm) during May and June and a spent female was captured in the lower estuary during early June (M.J. Dadswell, pers. observ.). Striped Bass captured in the Mira River display a genetic signature that does not match other known adjacent populations, but its difference from the Miramichi River (Fisher’s exact test: P = 0.005; I. Wirgin, pers. comm.) is not as pronounced as the other differences between established populations (Leblanc et al. 2018). This finding rules out the possibility that individuals sampled during 2012–2016 had recently arrived from the Miramichi River, the nearest recognized population. Because of the coastal submergence in this region, it is possible that the Mira River population only invaded the watershed during the last 500 y, allowing insignificant time for strong genetic divergence (Hasselman et al. 2018). Framboise and Inhabitants rivers The Atlantic coastal region of Cape Breton from Framboise River-Fullers Lake to the Inhabitants River is a summer warm marine habitat (17–23 °C; M.J. Dadswell, unpubl. data) with typical Striped Bass shoreline topography (sand beaches, tombolos, lagoons, rocky shoals; Table 1; Fig. 5F, G; Setzler et al. 1980). The largest Striped Bass captured and released in Nova Scotia and entered in the provincial annual angling competition during 2006 was a 13.6-kg fish taken in Fullers Lake, a coastal lagoon (P. Young, DFO, Conservation and Protection, Sydney, NS, Canada, pers. comm.). Reported catches in the coastal region, range from 6 kg to 25 kg (A. Roy, DFO, Conservation and Protection, Sydney, NS, Canada, J. Gibbons, and K. Hutchins, pers. comms.), and exploratory studies conducted by the authors resulted in capturing and tagging numerous Striped Bass from 1 kg to 18 kg (37–116 cm TL) at Fullers Lake and along Framboise Beach. Fullers Lake and the channel connecting it to the sea have high concentrations of Mysis gaspensis O. Tattersall and Pelaemonetes pugio Holthuis (Daggerblade Grass Shrimp) (M.J. Dadswell, unpubl. data); both taxa are excellent food for juvenile Striped Bass (Setzler et al. 1980). The Framboise and Inhabitants rivers flow into the coastal region (Fig. 5F, G), and local reports suggest that both of these sites have possible overwintering and perhaps even spawning habitat (K. Hutchins and A. Roy, pers. comm.). Eastern Mainland Nova Scotia The northeastern mainland Nova Scotia region is probably the most poorly known of all Striped Bass locations in Atlantic Canada. The region stretches from the Canso Causeway in the east to Halifax in the west and encompasses locations supporting Striped Bass such as St. Mary’s River (Fig. 5H) and Porters Lake, just north of Halifax (Fig. 5I). Large numbers of Striped Bass were reported in the Saint Mary’s River estuary in autumn of 2014 (K. Silver, President of the St. Mary’s River Salmon Association, Sherbrook, NS, pers. comm.). Country Harbor and Port Bickerton (Fig 5H) have also been listed as Nova Scotia Striped Bass angling Northeastern Naturalist Vol. 26, No. 1 S.N. Andrews, M.J. Dadswell, C.F. Buhariwalla, T. Linnansaari, and R.A. Curry 2019 13 hotspots, boasting catches of large Striped Bass (Mosher 1969). Additionally, the channel connecting Porters Lake (a saltwater lake) to the Atlantic Ocean (locally known as Rocky Run) has long been a popular location for local Striped Bass anglers. A women’s world record for Striped Bass on 7-kg–class line was angled there on 24 April 1986 (J. Vitek, pers. comm.). The fish weighed 18.2 kg and was a ripe female (S. Belford, local angler, Porters lake, NS, Canada, pers. comm.) that was possibly departing from an overwintering location in Porters Lake (Table 1). It is not surprising that a warm-water fish like Striped Bass would be encountered along northeastern Nova Scotia because other species of warm-water fishes have documented relict populations in this region. Tautoga onitis (L.) (Tautog) populations, for example, are known from Jeddore Harbor and Petpeswick Inlet (Gilhen and Aaboe 2009) between the St. Mary’s River and Porters Lake. Hundreds of Striped Bass have been tagged with acoustic transponders in both the sGSL and the BoF regions during the last 20 y (Andrews et al. 2018, Broome 2014, DFO 2014, Douglas and Chaput 2011), however, not one has been detected by the Ocean Tracking Network at either the Halifax Line (installed in 2008) or the Cabot Strait Line, off northern Cape Breton (installed in 2009). Similarly, of the thousands of Striped Bass tagged with external tags in either the BoF (Broome 2014, Rulifson and Dadswell 1995) or the Miramichi-sGSL region (DFO 2010, Douglas et al. 2003), not one has been recovered off eastern Cape Breton or northeastern mainland Nova Scotia. Furthermore, not one of the thousands of Striped Bass tagged in the US with external or acoustic tags (Boreman and Lewis 1987, Pautzke et al. 2010) has ever been caught off eastern Nova Scotia, even though many of these have been observed in the BoF as far east as the Yarmouth region (Harris 1988, Moss 1971, Rulifson and Dadswell 1995). We conclude that eastern Nova Scotia–Cape Breton Striped Bass are probably a distinct, isolated group. Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence (SGSL) The region from southwestern Cape Breton and along the Nova Scotia sGSL coastline to New Brunswick is well known habitat for Striped Bass that formerly supported a commercial fishery and now has a popular angling fish ery (Douglas et al. 2003). Striped Bass tagged as far east as Pictou Harbor have been recaptured in the Miramichi during the annual spawning run (S.G. Douglas, DFO, Gulf Fisheries Center, Moncton NB, Canada, pers. comm.) and north as far as the Gaspé peninsula (C.F. Buhariwalla, unpubl. data; S. Douglas, pers. comm.). All Striped Bass captured in this region are considered to be part of the Miramichi River stock. The Mabou River–Canso Strait region has numerous angling records of small Striped Bass. M.J. Dadswell and C.F. Buhariwalla (unpubl. data) collected age-2 and age-3 Striped Bass from the Mabou River and the coastal ponds on the north and south sides of the Canso Strait (Fig. 6). Also, during autumn 2011, a commercial smelt fisherman captured an 8.5-cm, age-0 (YOY) Striped Bass in Livingstone’s Pond, and numerous age-0 Striped Bass ~6 cm in length were observed in Long Pond near the Canso Causeway in early July 2013 (S.N. Andrews, pers. observ.). Striped Bass of this size are unlikely to have arrived from the Miramichi River during the year of their Northeastern Naturalist 14 S.N. Andrews, M.J. Dadswell, C.F. Buhariwalla, T. Linnansaari, and R.A. Curry 2019 Vol. 26, No. 1 birth due to the distance (in excess of ~450 km). This migration distance is even more unlikely since the timing would be a little more than a month after hatching. YOY Striped Bass (n = 57) varying in size from 11.8 cm to 19.6 cm (FL) were recovered in January 2013 when a fish kill occurred at the Trenton Generating Station in Pictou Harbor, NS (Fig. 6; Buhariwalla et al. 2016). This site is 360 km from the Miramichi River, and, although YOY Striped Bass are known to occur along the sGSL coast south from the Miramichi in the autumn, none have been documented further than a 55-km distance from the Miramichi estuary mouth (Robinson et al. 2004). Also, 17 age-1 Striped Bass during May 2009 and 16 age-2 Striped Bass in September 2011 were captured in the West River, a tributary to Pictou Harbor (Fig. 6; M.J. Dadswell, unpubl. data). The presence of a local spawning stock is highly suspected somewhere in this region. Many other rivers along the sGSL apart from the Northwest (NW) Miramichi were once suspected to support Striped Bass spawning populations (e.g., Richibucto River, Kougibouguac River; Hogans 1984, Melvin 1991). Today, these locations have largely been dismissed as spawning habitat due to a lack of observed spawning (Douglas et al. 2003); however, Striped Bass of the sGSL were undergoing a steep population decline at the time. It is possible that the NW branch of the Figure 6. Northeastern Nova Scotia including Mabou River, Livingstone’s Pond, Long Pond, and West River in Pictou Harbour. These areas fall within the Southern Gulf of Saint Lawrence Designatable Unit but are suspected to support non-Miramichi origin Striped Bass. Northeastern Naturalist Vol. 26, No. 1 S.N. Andrews, M.J. Dadswell, C.F. Buhariwalla, T. Linnansaari, and R.A. Curry 2019 15 Miramichi, the only currently recognized spawning location for Striped Bass in the sGSL, was the largest and most robust population (Douglas et al. 2009) and the sole to survive during the region’s population’s collapse. The population of Striped Bass in the sGSL has now recovered (Douglas and Chaput 2011), and it is possible that the species may begin to recolonize or regenerate suitable spawning locations along the coast from which they became extirpated. This process appears to have already begun. On 31 May 2018, we collected Striped Bass eggs (n = 271) on the Southwest (SW) Miramichi River at the confluence of the Renous River by holding a small (30-cm–diameter) plankton net directly downstream of spawning Striped Bass from 1932 to 2157 hrs. From our observation, spawning by Striped Bass extended from an area 350 m upstream from the mouth of the Renous River to an area 200 m downstream from the bridge at Quarryville, a tidally influenced area stretching a little over 1 km in length (Fig. 7). Striped Bass tended to concentrate spawning efforts in the faster waters (surface velocity measured at 1.2 m/s) in the center of the river and avoided the slower moving margins. Water temperature at the site at the time of observation was 17 °C. Local reports detail that spawning had begun in the evening of 29 May and lasted until at least 18 June 2018 (C. Donovan, local salmon fishing guide, Miramichi, NB, Canada, pers. comm.). Spawning at this Figure 7. The confluence of the Northwest Miramichi River and Southwest Miramichi River, NB, including the known Striped Bass spawning location on (1) the Northwest Miramichi River and (2) the newly confirmed Striped Bass spawning location at the confluence of the Southwest Miramichi River and the Renous River. Northeastern Naturalist 16 S.N. Andrews, M.J. Dadswell, C.F. Buhariwalla, T. Linnansaari, and R.A. Curry 2019 Vol. 26, No. 1 location had been observed at this same location for at least 4 y prior to our time of sampling (C. Donovan, pers. comm.). Southwestern Nova Scotia The southwestern portion of mainland Nova Scotia is also a region of postglacial crustal submergence that is being affected by the increasing tidal range in the Bay of Fundy (Grant 1970). Consequently, there are long stretches of estuaries and coastal regions such as Chebogue River, Tusket River, and Eel Lake with summer-warm, low-salinity habitat (Fig. 8). Annual angler reports of Striped Bass in this region are common, as well as records of large and small individuals. A former Nova Scotia record of a 26-kg fish was taken in the Tusket River during 1979 (Fig. 8; NSDFA 2008), which followed the capture of 2 other large Striped Bass (19 kg and 19.5 kg) from the same area in 1978 (L. Forsythe, local angler, Yarmouth, NS, Canada, pers. comm.). Large Striped Bass up to 16 kg have been taken in Eel Lake, a low-salinity portion of the Tusket watershed (Scott and Scott 1988), and Striped Bass varying from 18 kg to 22.5 kg have been captured in the LaHave, Medway, and Mersey estuaries in southeastern Nova Scotia from 1950 to 1970 (L. Forsythe, pers. comm.). Annually, small Striped Bass (less than 70 cm TL) are captured in the Chebogue River (Fig. 8) and 4 fish tagged by members of the Littoral Society at this site during 1966–1969 were recaptured along the US coast as far south as Figure 8. The southwestern tip of Nova Scotia including Chebogue River, the Tusket River, and Eel Lake. Northeastern Naturalist Vol. 26, No. 1 S.N. Andrews, M.J. Dadswell, C.F. Buhariwalla, T. Linnansaari, and R.A. Curry 2019 17 Delaware (Moss 1971), therefore suggesting that at least the large Striped Bass in the area are migrants from the US populations. Striped Bass are also commonly captured in St. Mary’s Bay to the north of Yarmouth (Fig. 9; Scott and Scott 1988). During June 2009, an angler captured a 26-kg fish in this location (R. Owen, local angler, Weymouth, NS, Canada, pers. comm.). Annapolis Basin: Annapolis River and Bear River The Annapolis River is tributary to Annapolis Basin, which is an embayment of the Bay of Fundy in southwestern mainland Nova Scotia (Fig. 9). The river has a meander length of 97 km and drains a watershed of 1603 km2 (Melvin et al. 1985). It is a low-gradient warm-water stream, with summer water temperature often exceeding 26 °C (Melvin et al. 1985). Annual flow at Annapolis Royal is 38 m3s-1. The estuary stretches from Bridgetown to its outlet from Annapolis Basin at Digby Gut, a distance of 95 km. Tidal range in the estuary is 7 m. The Bear River is also a tributary to the Annapolis Basin (Fig. 9). The Annapolis River is a special case for eastern Canada. Unlike other eastern Canadian rivers, the Striped Bass population there was closed to commercial, selective-gear (gill nets) fishing in the river and estuary since the 1880s (Dadswell et al. 1984). The angling fishery in the Annapolis River was popular, attracting Figure 9. The Annapolis River and Bear River, NS, on the southwestern side of Nova Scotia which flow into the Annapolis Basin, an embayment of the Bay of Fundy. The causeway at Annapolis Royal was built in 1960; the tidal generation-station became operational in 1985. Northeastern Naturalist 18 S.N. Andrews, M.J. Dadswell, C.F. Buhariwalla, T. Linnansaari, and R.A. Curry 2019 Vol. 26, No. 1 anglers from Nova Scotia (95%), and other Canadian provinces and the US (5%; Harris 1988). A tidal dam (causeway) was constructed on the Annapolis estuary at Annapolis Royal in 1960 to protect farm land from saltwater intrusion, creating a head-pond reservoir of 10.8 x 106 m2 (Fig. 9; Melvin et al. 1985). The causeway has a sluice gate to drain river water and a vertical-slot fish-way. Following causeway construction, the estuary was changed from a vertically homogenous, high tidal-range habitat to a salt-wedge environment with a tidal range of only 0.5 m (Daborn et al. 1979a). Striped Bass spawning success is sensitive to environmental conditions (Reinert and Peterson 2008, Setzler et al. 1980); thus, these changes may have caused a decline in egg and juvenile survival. From 1976 to 1983, however, catches of hundreds of eggs and a few larvae indicated there was a persisting spawning population (Williams 1978; Williams et al. 1984). This series of investigations, however, concluded that spawning success was low (Williams 1978; Williamson et al. 1974) or unsuccessful (Daborn et al. 1979b). Other studies on the river during 1971–1972 and again in 1987, illustrated periods of strong recruitment of age-3 to age-6 fish to the angling fishery (Harris 1988, Williamson 1974). Populations of Striped Bass are known to exhibit periods of scarcity between periods of good recruitment (Richards and Rago 1999, Setzler et al. 1980). The causeway concentrated large numbers of Striped Bass and anglers. A survey undertaken in 1987 interviewed 898 anglers in 937 h of interviews and catches of 200–300 Striped Bass per season were reportedly entered in a local fishing contest (Dadswell et al. 2018, Harris 1988). Based on these observations, it is unlikely that the causeway construction seriously affected the population of Striped Bass in the Annapolis River. During 1983–1985, a tidal, hydroelectric station was constructed in the Annapolis River causeway (Fig. 9; Dadswell et al. 2018). The power station has a 15 m x 15 m turbine-intake and draft tube which contains the 7.6-m diameter, axial-flow, hydraulic-lift–propeller turbine set 12 m below the reservoir level. There is also a 3 m x 3 m box-culvert fish-way, the top of which is at high-tide level. Operation of single-effect, ebb-power generation is such that during the flood- and high-tide period, sea water enters the reservoir through the sluice gates and the free-wheeling turbine. During ebb- and low-tide periods, the sluice gates are closed, and the turbine operates to generate power for about 6 h propelled by the outgoing tide. While generating, the sluice gates are closed and, therefore, fish-passage volumes are low; thus, the main flow of water that migratory fish follow is through the turbine drafttube (Dadswell and Rulifson 1994, Gibson and Meyers 2002). The operation of the tidal turbine at Annapolis Royal rapidly changed the structure and abundance of the Striped Bass population probably because of turbine mortality (Dadswell and Rulifson 1994, Dadswell et al. 2018). Adult Striped Bass aggregated around the causeway because of the strong currents, rocky shores, and abundance of artificially concentrated prey. When the turbine was installed and operating after June 1985, the Striped Bass could follow prey through the turbine (M.J. Dadswell, pers. observ.). Consequently, feeding adults probably made Northeastern Naturalist Vol. 26, No. 1 S.N. Andrews, M.J. Dadswell, C.F. Buhariwalla, T. Linnansaari, and R.A. Curry 2019 19 multiple passages through the turbine each year, thereby increasing the overall rate of potential turbine mortality. Before tidal turbine operation began in the Annapolis River estuary, the reported angling catch of Striped Bass was predominately composed of large fish up to a maximum of 26 kg (Jessop and Doubleday 1976). There was no minimum size limit on angling catches, but anglers caught mainly fish >4.0 kg in weight (Jessop 1980). In 1971–1972, fish >4.0 kg constituted 64% of the total reported catches from license surveys (Jessop and Doubleday 1976). In 1978, 89% of license-reported catches were >4.0 kg (Jessop 1980). Similarly, angling catches entered in the annual Dunromin Campground contest were dominated by large fish. During 1982, 71% of angling catches were >4.0 kg, and in 1983, the proportion of large fish was 69%. The Kennedy family, a dedicated group of anglers who maintained detailed annual records of each fish captured, had annual catches prior to 1983 that were 60–90% fish >4.0 kg (Dadswell et al. 2018). Since Annapolis River Striped Bass >4.0 kg measure from 68.5 cm to 120.0 cm FL, these adults would have had a potential strike rate of 20–40% during turbine passage (Dadswell and Rulifson 1994). After continuous turbine operation began in 1985, catches of large Striped Bass declined rapidly. Striped Bass of >4.0 kg recorded in the Dunromin Campground angling contest amounted to only 51% of the total fish entered in the contest in 1986 and declined to 37% in 1987 (Harris 1988). Angling catches of Striped Bass by the Kennedy family during 1986–1999 demonstrated a similar decline in large fish (Dadswell et al. 2018). Although their period of angling from 1986 to 1999 remained similar and annual effort in days fished differed little from pre-operational angling, the catch and percentage of fish >4.0 kg, decreased by 69% and 57%, respectively. During the period 1996 to 1999, the Kennedys only captured 6 fish >4.0 kg and, although the family continued fishing annually until 2008, they never caught a Striped Bass >4.0 kg after 1999 (Dadswell et al. 2018). Similarly, the annual Striped Bass angling contest at Dunromin closed after 2008 because of lack in angler interest. The Kennedy family did have some better years of angling after 1985, but some of the large fish they captured could have been migrants from other Bay of Fundy rivers or the US (Dadswell et al. 2018). Large Striped Bass tagged in the Annapolis River have been recaptured in the Shubenacadie River, NS, spawning run (M. Dadswell, unpubl. data). Harris (1988) reported 4 recaptures of tagged Striped Bass from the Hudson River, NY, which occurred at the Annapolis causeway during 1987. Similarly, 2 fish tagged in the Potomoc River, MD, were recaptured in Annapolis Basin (Nichols and Miller 1967). Migrant Striped Bass often exhibit strong fidelity to summer foraging grounds (Ng et al. 2007, Pautzke et al. 2010); thus, it seems probable that some of the large bass captured by the Kennedy family after 1990 came from distant populations. In comparison, the nearby Shubenacadie River does not have a causeway or tidal turbine, and there has been no decline of large fish in this system (Bradford et al. 2012, Parramore and Rulifson 2001). COSEWIC (2012) and DFO (2014) both consider the Annapolis River population of Striped Bass extirpated and list Northeastern Naturalist 20 S.N. Andrews, M.J. Dadswell, C.F. Buhariwalla, T. Linnansaari, and R.A. Curry 2019 Vol. 26, No. 1 the Annapolis Royal tidal turbine as one of the possible causes. The demise of the Annapolis River Striped Bass population has been so complete that only 1 fish was reported angled in the river during 2016, and none were reported during 2017 (L. Cliché, Director of the Clean Annapolis River Project [CARP], Annapolis, NS, pers. comm.). Annually, “schoolie-size” (less than 68.5 cm; i.e., less than the smallest legal size for retention) and larger Striped Bass were angled in Bear River and the Annapolis Basin (Fig. 9; DFO 2014). It is unknown if these fish were from the Annapolis River and represent a remaining population, or if they may have arrived from distant populations in Canada and the US (Nichols and Miller 1967). Inner Bay of Fundy The inner BoF has a major spawning population in the Shubenacadie–Stewiacke watershed (DFO 2014, Rulifson and Tull 1998). These fish occupy Minas Basin during summer and support an important sport fishery (Broome 2014). There are 2 groups of Striped Bass in Minas Basin each summer: the local population from the Shubenacadie–Stewiake watershed (Duston et al. 2018) and a migrant contingent of US fish, which after tagging in Minas Basin, have been recaptured as far south as Virginia (Rulifson et al. 2008). It is also known that the local population has 2 overwintering sites: 1 in Shubenacadie Grand Lake (DFO Figure 10. The southern Minas Basin region, inner Bay of Fundy, including the Gaspereau River near Wolfville, and the Avon River and Kennetcook River near Windsor, NS. Northeastern Naturalist Vol. 26, No. 1 S.N. Andrews, M.J. Dadswell, C.F. Buhariwalla, T. Linnansaari, and R.A. Curry 2019 21 2014) and 1 at sea in Minas Passage (Keyser et al. 2016, Paramore and Rulifson 2001). The very recent discovery of overwintering Striped Bass from a wellknown population at sea in high-salinity water indicates just how little we know about this fish species in Canada. There are, however, indications that there may be other Striped Bass spawning populations in tributaries of Minas Basin. The Avon River complex is fed through 5 tidal rivers (Fig. 10), all of which have habitat similar to the Shubenacadie–Stewiacke River complex. There are commercial fisher reports of spawning activity in the Kennetcook River estuary (D. Porter, commercial weir fisherman, Cheverie, NS, Canada, pers. comm.), a large recreational fishery centered on the Avon Causeway (M. Dadswell, pers. observ.), and YOY Striped Bass were captured in 2015 during seining surveys on the estuarine beaches near the Kennetcook River (C.F. Buhariwalla, unpubl. data; M. Stokesbury, Professor of Biology; Acadia University, Wolfville, NS, Canada, pers. comm). Spawning has also been reported by local anglers on the Gaspereau River near Wolfville, NS. In the spring of 2018, three adult Striped Bass tagged with acoustic tracking tags travelled directly to the Gaspereau River at the time of spawning after departing from a major overwintering area in Shubenacadie Grand Lake, NS (Jeff Figure 11. The Saint John River, NB, is located on the outer Bay of Fundy. The Mactaquac Dam is located near the City of Fredericton, ~150 km upstream from the river mouth in Saint John. Four major tributaries enter the Saint John River along its lower reach: Grand Lake, Washademoak Lake, Belleisle Bay and Kennebecasis Bay. Northeastern Naturalist 22 S.N. Andrews, M.J. Dadswell, C.F. Buhariwalla, T. Linnansaari, and R.A. Curry 2019 Vol. 26, No. 1 Reader, DFO, pers. comm). Furthermore, these 3 Striped Bass were never detected on the known spawning grounds on the Shubenacadie River, NS (J. Reader, DFO, Fredericton, NB, Canada, pers. comm.). In late May of 2018, surface activity typical of Striped Bass spawning was observed on the Gaspereau River (Jeff Reader, pers. comm.), though spawning was not confirmed through the collection of eggs or larva. Saint John River Striped Bass inhabiting the Saint John River, NB, have been considered extirpated since the completion of the Mactaquac Dam in 1968 (Fig. 11) and an observed spawning failure in 1975 (Andrews et al. 2017, COSWIC 2014). Past studies have suggested that many of the Striped Bass occurring within the Saint John River were migrants from the US or Nova Scotia (Wirgin et al. 1995), but more recently individual fish have been identified as “of unknown origin” (9–85% over 7 y of study; Bentzen and Paterson 2008) that could be of native origin in the Saint John River. These studies collected samples from areas such as the Mactaquac Dam and Reversing Falls (in the City of Saint John) during the late summer, both times and places likely occupied by large numbers of migrant Striped Bass (Fig. 11; Andrews et al. 2017, Rulifson and Dadswell 1995). Current studies, however, now demonstrate that the Saint John River and its estuary does in fact support a persistent, native population of Striped Bass, as evidenced by Striped Bass of age 1–4 that do not genetically match any other known populations of Striped Bass in the region or the US (LeBlanc et al. 2018). The presence of ripe males and females during the spawning period and the upstream migration of adult Striped Bass in spring supports the spawning hypothesis (Andrews et al. 2018). Recent acoustic-tracking studies conducted by S.N. Andrews (unpubl. data) indicated that both juvenile and adult Striped Bass of suspected Saint John River origin rarely leave the river or estuary at any time during the year. It is unlikely, however, that this remnant population, has spawned successfully each year, as evidenced by wide gaps observed between successful year classes (S.N. Andrews, unpubl. data; Bentzen and Paterson 2008), and more study will be required to determine if flow or temperature conditions downstream of the Mactaquac Dam can be in any way modified to promote spawning in spring. Considering this re-discovery, the status of Striped Bass within the Bay of Fundy Designatable Unit will have to be re-assessed as the population of Striped Bass in Shubenacadie–Stewiacke watershed may no longer be considered the sole remaining area in which Striped Bass are succesfully reproducing. In addition, managers must now re-assess the status of the Striped Bass in the Saint John River and determine how best to recover the population. Mactaquac Reservoir landlocked population The Mactaquac Reservoir (locally referred to as the Mactaquac Headpond) located directly upstream of the Mactaquac Dam on the Saint John River (Fig. 12) possibly contains the only landlocked Striped Bass in Canada. The large reservoir (>100 km) was never officially stocked; however, small Striped Bass Northeastern Naturalist Vol. 26, No. 1 S.N. Andrews, M.J. Dadswell, C.F. Buhariwalla, T. Linnansaari, and R.A. Curry 2019 23 are inadvertently introduced to the reservoir by means of a large trap and truck operation conducted in May and June at the base of the Mactaquac Dam to allow upstream migration of Alosa pseudoharengus (A. Wilson) (Alewife) and Alosa aestivalis (Mitchill) (Blueback Herring) (Jessop 2001). It is possible that Striped Bass do not spawn in the reservoir (despite extensive riverine habitat), as juveniles have never been reported. It is unknown, however, if this apparent absence is due to a lack of habitat and favorable flow-conditions in the large impoundment, low density of adult Striped Bass, or a lack of scientific studies to search for such activity. Catches of Striped Bass have been reported from the reservoir (Fishing Lore 1991; G. Yamazaki and S.J. Peake, local anglers, Fredericton, NB, Canada, pers. comm.) and with the abundance of available forage it would be of interest to determine if the Mactaquac Headpond could support a population and viable recreational fishery, either artificially stocked or naturally occurring. Land-locked populations of Striped Bass have been successful in the southeastern US (e.g., Kerr Reservoir in North Carolina) and in the midwestern US (e.g., Lake Texoma), and access to salt water is not integral to their life history (Baker et al. 2009). Such anthropogenic introductions to novel areas, technical feasibility aside, would be intrinsically complex due to the potential ecological interactions and Figure 12. The Mactaquac Headpond located on the Saint John River, NB, was created after the completing of the Mactaquac Dam in 1968. The Headpond lies ~20 km upstream from the city of Fredericton. Northeastern Naturalist 24 S.N. Andrews, M.J. Dadswell, C.F. Buhariwalla, T. Linnansaari, and R.A. Curry 2019 Vol. 26, No. 1 cascading effects with other migratory (e.g., Outer BoF Salmo salar L. [Atlantic Salmon]) and forage species. Conclusions We have identified 6 locations where Striped Bass occur within Cape Breton and northeastern Nova Scotia. Bras d’Or Lake, Mira River, and the Framboise and Inhabitats rivers could all support undescribed reproducing populations, the evidence for which are: the presence of ripe and spent adults during the spawning period, presence of young juveniles, limited seaward emigration, consistent overwintering locations, upstream migration during the spawning period and anecdotal reports of spawning, and a unique genetic signature. Other areas such as Porters Lake and St. Mary’s River provide both winter and summer habitat for Striped Bass of unknown origin, though these areas are completely unstudied scientifically. Based on this evidence, we have a strong case for a new Cape Breton/Eastern Nova Scotia Designatable Unit and suggest there be considerable reassessment of the status of Striped Bass and scope of study at these locations. We also determined that there are many other locations requiring future or continued assessment. Striped Bass have been recently documented in coastal regions of Labrador both in summer and over winter; researchers will have to determine if this is a novel occurrence or rather a recolonization of areas from which Striped Bass were once extirpated. The presence of overwintering fish also means that some individuals should be present in early spring, but it remains unknown if any Labrador rivers have an appropriate flow or temperature regime to support Striped Bass spawning or juvenile recruitment. Other locations such as the Mabou and West rivers in Nova Scotia, may be new spawning sites within the sGSL as evidenced by the presence of YOY Striped Bass. The possibility remains that the Miramichi River is not the sole location for reproduction of sGSL Striped Bass, and with the rapidly increasing Striped Bass population occurring in this region, Striped Bass may begin spawning in other suitable river habitats. Due to the focus of research only on key spawning rivers (e.g., Shubenacadie River, Miramichi River, Saint Lawrence River; Douglas et al. 2003; see also COSEWIC 2004, 2012), it is likely that many lesser known regions of Striped Bass occurrence have been overlooked. Conservation and fisheries regulations are key discussion points for historic Striped Bass waters; however, it is impossible to conserve those populations that are yet to be acknowledged. Acknowledgments We thank all the anglers and conservation personnel who provided us with their observations from the water, including: M. Ploughman, K. Hutchins, A. Roy, C. Paul, N. Doucette, S. Jeddore, D. Duplisea, L. Forsythe, C. Donovan, G. Yamazaki, and S. Peake, as well as J. Vitek from the International Game Fish Association (IGFA) for providing historic data on Canadian angling records. Northeastern Naturalist Vol. 26, No. 1 S.N. Andrews, M.J. Dadswell, C.F. Buhariwalla, T. Linnansaari, and R.A. 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