LDWF Releases 5,500 Striped Bass into Pearl River to Restore a Native Fish Species

Baton Rouge, Jun 15, 2026 - The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF), in coordination with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks, and the Gulf Striped Bass Working Group, released 5,500 Gulf Strain Striped Bass into the Pearl River on June 4, 2026 to as part of a larger goal to restore a robust population of Gulf Strain Striped Bass capable of supporting a recreational fishery.

These striped bass fingerlings originated from Blackwater Fish Hatchery in Holt, Fla., where they were spawned and later transported as fry to Private John Allen National Fish Hatchery in Tupelo, Miss. There, they were raised in grow-out ponds until reaching approximately 2 inches in length before being released into the Pearl River. In addition to stocking these fingerlings, LDWF biologists have placed acoustic tags into adult Striped Bass for a telemetry and movement study, and have collected genetic samples to monitor this strain of Striped Bass in the Pearl River Basin. 

Anglers can assist LDWF's Striped Bass restoration efforts through the Striped Bass Collaborative Anglers Project (SBCAP). Anyone fishing waters east of the Mississippi River, including Lake Maurepas, Lake Pontchartrain, and Lake Borgne (as well as all rivers that drain into those lakes), and the entire Pearl River system, is encouraged to submit biological information from their Striped Bass catches. To submit catch data, or view existing genetic and age results, visit our Striped Bass Collaborative Anglers Project (SBCAP) webpage. 

For more information about this stocking or the ongoing Gulf Strain Striped Bass Projects, contact Biologist Manager Matthew Duplessis at 985-847-2421 or e-mail at mduplessis@wlf.la.gov.