How do farmers grow hybrid striped bass?
Fertilized striped bass or white bass eggs hatch in 40-48 hours depending on water temperature. The larvae are held in aquaria for 3-5 days before they are stocked into ponds. The ponds are filled with high-quality water and fertilized to create zooplankton blooms that provide food for the young fish. In approximately 35-45 days the fingerlings are harvested, placed in raceways and trained to eat pelleted feed. These small fingerlings (about 1 gram each), commonly called Phase I fingerlings are sold to pond or tank producers who feed them a balanced, specially-prepared, pelleted diet for the next 9-18 months until they get to a market size of one to three pounds. During the production period the fish are generally harvested and graded by size once or twice before the final harvest for market.
