Hot Topic: Striped Bass Collaborative Anglers Project (SBCAP) | Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries

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Hot Topic: Striped Bass Collaborative Anglers Project (SBCAP)

Calling all Anglers: LDWF Needs Your Help!

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is calling upon anglers to join LDWF’s Striped Bass Collaborative Anglers Project (SBCAP) to help support active management of Striped Bass in Louisiana! Help our biologists better understand the Striped Bass population in the Lake Pontchartrain and Pearl River Basins – which is the western edge of the historical range of the Gulf Strain Striped Bass population.

For more info, contact Jonathan Winslow via email or at 985-847-2422

Anglers who fish any Louisiana waterbody east of the Mississippi River, including Lakes Maurepas, Pontchartrain, and Borgne (as well as all rivers that drain into those lakes) and the entire Pearl River system can help by submitting important biological data from their Striped Bass catches.

In partnership with

Striped Bass Sampling Area Through the Striped Bass Collaborative Anglers Project

Map showing the striped bass sampling area for the Striped Bass Collaborative Anglers Project (outlined in red)

How Can You Help?

We need tissue samples from the Striped Bass you catch. Data can be collected and submitted from harvested or released catches in two ways:

1. Through a fin clip kit

Request a Fin Clip Kit

Order your kit here. The form will ask if you want to order a fin clip kit. Choose 'yes' and complete your contact information.
Once you receive your kit and have a fin clip ready for pickup, you can click the same link a second time, choose “no”, and schedule a pickup for your fin clip.

2. Or by having LDWF collect your cleaned carcass (only striped bass are needed for collection)

Request a Carcass Pickup

Schedule a carcass pickup from an LDWF biologist. The form will ask if you want to order a fin clip kit, choose 'no' and complete the information requested in the form.
LDWF is interested in carcasses from harvested Striped Bass (see the Striped Bass identification image below)
Either the entire carcass can be submitted, or after fileting, the head with dorsal or pectoral fin still attached may be submitted (for this option to be utilized, an angler must record the total length in inches to the nearest 1/8 of an inch before cleaning the fish).
Carcass samples may be fresh (on ice) or frozen.
Frozen samples should be placed in a sealable plastic bag and labeled with the harvest date and general location (e.g., Lake Pontchartrain or Pearl River).
Location of capture should be as specific as the angler feels comfortable with. However, at a minimum, the area must include the waterbody where the fish was caught.

Samples will be analyzed by LDWF biologists for age determination (otoliths) and genetic origin (Gulf Strain, Atlantic Strain, Natural/Stocked).

Identifying Yellow, White, Striped and Hybrid Bass

Graphic showing the differences between Yellow, White, Striped and Hybrid Bass

Tracking Our Progress

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) is currently working with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) in a cooperative effort to restore a historical Gulf Strain Striped Bass population within the Pearl River and Lake Pontchartrain basins (study area). The project objectives can be broken down into three components:

Analyze genetic makeup of Striped Bass captured in the study area. Because the overall goal of this project is to restore / enhance the Gulf Strain Striped Bass within the Pearl River and Lake Pontchartrain basins, we must identify, through genetic analysis, whether our resident Striped Bass are Gulf Strain, Atlantic Strain, or a combination of the two.
Track seasonal movement of Striped Bass within the study area using acoustic telemetry. Gulf Striped Bass, especially larger adults, need access to cool water (less than 75°F) during the summer. Because those water temps are difficult to find in south Louisiana, this is thought to be one of the main limiting factors of growth and survival within the study area. Tracking these fish will allow us to understand their utilization of habitat and will hopefully lead us to spawning areas and summertime thermal refugia. Knowledge of these critical aspects will allow us to make better management decisions. To accomplish these objectives, LDWF biologists and USFWS biologists captured Striped Bass from the study area, implanted them with an acoustic transmitter, and released them back into the study area. As these fish move throughout the system, they will encounter receivers that have been strategically placed throughout the Pearl River and Lake Pontchartrain basins. Each time a tagged fish swims by one of these receivers, it is logged and stored. Every four to six weeks, biologists will offload data from each receiver. Ideally, this data will allow us to detect a pattern of movement and identify any areas where they congregate during the summer.
Annual stocking of Gulf Strain Striped Bass into the Pearl River and Lake Pontchartrain basins. For the first time since 2009, LDWF will plan to stock Gulf Strain Striped Bass into the Pearl River and Lake Pontchartrain basins in the near future. These stockings will occur annually provided that the hatcheries along the Gulf Coast are able to fulfill stocking requests.

Anglers, please be on the lookout for Striped Bass with an orange tag near the posterior (rear) side of the dorsal fin. Each Striped Bass that was outfitted with an internal acoustic transmitter was also outfitted with one of these orange, external tags. While not a requirement, LDWF would greatly appreciate that any of these fish be photographed and released. The internal transmitters are providing valuable information, and we would like to keep them swimming for as long as possible. Lastly, please call the number on the tag or Jonathan Winslow at 985-847-2422 to report capture location and any other information you would like to share.

Angler Catch Information

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Striped Bass Sample Results

		Date of Catch		Length (mm)	Length (Inch)	Weight (g)	Weight (lbs)	Genetics	Age
SBPP013A	Justin Bordelon	1/3/25	Lake Pontchartrain	555	21.85	N/A	N/A	Pending	2
SBPP013B	Justin Bordelon	1/3/25	Lake Pontchartrain	547	21.54	N/A	N/A	Pending	2
SBPP013C	Justin Bordelon	1/3/25	Lake Pontchartrain	455	17.91	N/A	N/A	Pending	1
SBPP018A	Logan LeBlanc (USFWS)	2/4/25	Lake Pontchartrain	422	16.61	910	2.01	Pending	N/A
SBPP018B	Logan LeBlanc (USFWS)	2/4/25	Lake Pontchartrain	415	16.34	870	1.92	Pending	N/A
SBPP018C	Logan LeBlanc (USFWS)	2/4/25	Lake Pontchartrain	383	15.08	690	1.52	Pending	N/A
SBPP019A	Matthew Duplessis (LDWF)	2/4/25	Lake Pontchartrain	385	15.16	702	1.55	Pending	N/A
SBPP019B	Matthew Duplessis (LDWF)	2/4/25	Lake Pontchartrain	410	16.14	830	1.83	Pending	N/A
SBPP020A	Matthew Duplessis (LDWF)	2/4/25	Lake Pontchartrain	410	16.14	784	1.73	Pending	N/A
SBPP019C	Jonathan Winslow (LDWF)	2/4/25	Lake Pontchartrain	415	16.34	970	2.14	Pending	N/A
SBPP030A	Jonathan Winslow (LDWF)	2/14/25	Lake Pontchartrain	420	16.54	825	1.82	Pending	N/A
Pearl 3	LDWF	3/12/25	B.C. Sill	930	36.61	10920	24.07	Pending	9
SBPP014	Jacob McCutcheon	5/6/25	Tchefuncte River	423	16.65	850	1.87	Pending	2

Striped Bass Collaborative Anglers Project

Ultrasonic telemetry and tracking receiver

LDWF Matthew Duplessis testing an acoustic transponder

Close-up view of a Passive integrated transponder (PIT Tag)

Striped Bass being placed into a tank of water with a sedative

PIT tag being inserted into a striped bass

Striped Bass with a breathing tube prior to surgery

Inserting an acoustic transmitter into a Striped Bass

Students at Booker Fowler Hatchery Watching Surgery

Staff sutures Striped Bass after surgery

Staff taking a fin clip for genetic testing

Staff checks a pit tag prior to insertion

Recording the unique ID number from a Floy tag

Floy tag being inserted into striped bass

Tagged Striped Bass swimming in recovery tank

Image of Testing the Telemetry and Tracking Receiver

LDWF staff pumping water into a holding tank

Staff transfer tagged Striped Bass from a transportation tank to a holding tank

Staff replace the transport water with river water to help acclimate the fish

USFWS Kayla Kimmel checks the PIT tag as they prepare the fish for release

LDWF Mathew Duplessis carries a Striped Bass to release point

LDWF Jonathan Winslow releases striped bass