Temperate Basses, Morone spp., and Black Basses, Micropterus spp

The original distribution of the striped bass, Morone saxatillis, is believed to have extended from the Lawrence River, New Brunswick, south along the east coast of North America, around the tip of Florida, and into the Gulf of Mexico as far as Louisiana. ¹ The striped bass was a marine and estuarine coastal species until stocking extended its range across much of the United States and into the Pacific Ocean. ¹ Striped bass have also been stocked in the Soviet Union, France, and Portugal. ² One of the first reports of hatchery production of hybrid striped bass (striped bass x white bass, Morone chrysops) and the reciprocal cross was by Bishop in 1968. ³