During 1993–1994, 78 adult striped bass Morone saxatilis captured in the Albemarle Sound–Roanoke River (AR) system were tagged with ultrasonic transmitters to examine summer patterns of distribution, migration, and habitat selection. Additionally, 626 striped bass were collected by electrofishing during 1993 to assess summer condition. Water temperatures within Albemarle Sound rose well above suitable levels for striped bass, but dissolved oxygen remained within tolerance limits. No stratification of temperature or dissolved oxygen occurred and no substantial thermal refuges were located. Telemetered striped bass were found throughout the Albemarle Sound system, selecting for deep water or structure. No evidence of migration to the Atlantic Ocean was found. During summer AR striped bass 325 mm total length or longer were in relatively poor condition, as evidenced by the extensive occurrence of red dermal lesions and ectoparasites. Relative weight (condition based on a standard weight at length) of commercially caught AR striped bass varied seasonally, exhibiting low values during May–August but normal values for the remainder of the year.

The spring spawning migration is a key period for effective management of anadromous populations of striped bass Morone saxatilis. Information on migratory behavior is needed in order to develop appropriate harvest regulations and to conduct effective surveys while fish are on the spawning grounds. We used ultrasonic telemetry to estimate the timing and duration of the upriver spawning migration for the Roanoke River, North Carolina, population and to evaluate whether a short-term fluctuation in temperature or flow would alter the distribution of telemetered fish on the spawning grounds. Seventy-eight fish implanted with transmitters were released during 1993 and 1994. Twenty-nine telemetered fish migrated upriver in 1994, and 14 telemetered fish entered the river in 1995. Migration of telemetered fish began in mid-to late April when water temperatures in the lower river reached 17-18ЊC. Males began their spawning migration significantly earlier than females in 1994; the difference was not significant in 1995. The 165-km upriver migration took about a week, as did the downriver migration after the spawning season. In 1994 and 1995 respectively, males remained on the spawning grounds for averages of 22 and 21 d, females for 8 and 11 d. Because of shorter residency times only about half the telemetered females were on the spawning grounds at any one time during the peak of the spawning season. Striped bass remained on the spawning grounds during a short-term temperature decrease of about 4ЊC (over 5 d) and an increase in flow from about 190 to 390 m 3 /s (over 1 d).

Based on a recent stock assessment of red drum Sciaenops ocellatus along the southern U.S. Atlantic coast (South Carolina to Florida), we calculated the possible gains in the static spawning potential ratio (SPR) from fishing mortality reductions (savings) produced by changing slot (size) and bag limits. Our method for calculating savings provides flexibility to address differences in commercial and recreational fishery regulations, regional stock conditions, and specific gear characteristics, and to account for discard mortality. Gear‐ and age‐specific estimates of fishing mortality rates (F) for 1992–1997 resulted in savings from recreational fishery bag limits given a particular slot size. Relative changes in catch‐at‐age estimates modified the age‐specific F estimates and, hence, the calculated SPR values. Additionally, recreational savings was adjusted to account for a release mortality of 10%. Static SPRs were estimated for (1) bag limits with increasing minimum size limits and a fixed maximum size and (2) bag limits with decreasing maximum size limits and a fixed minimum size. If the current slot limit (14–27 in total length) for the southern region remains unchanged, a bag limit of one fish per angler‐trip would be required to attain the stated target of a 40% static SPR specified by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council. However, the council's target could be attained with higher bag limits if the maximum size limit were reduced from the current level of 27 in, assuming no increase in effort on legal‐size fish.

Increasing costs are challenging the capacity for resource management agencies to keep up with mounting needs for robust data about fish populations and their habitats. Furthermore, trust among scientists, government agencies, and the public is fundamental to effective fisheries management, and relations among these three groups are increasingly strained when decisions about fishing limits are made (or are perceived to be made) on the basis of limited information or analysis. In the South Atlantic region of the United States, the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council has begun building a citizen science program to increase the quantity and quality of data used for fisheries management decisions throughout the region and to build trust and foster mutual understanding among those involved in the process. The goal is to build on existing management infrastructure to address key challenges to managing fisheries for long-term sustainability. In the present article, we examine the collaborative process used to establish the program.

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