Hybrid striped bass

A hybrid striped bass, also known as a wiper or whiterock bass, is a hybrid between the striped bass (Morone saxatilis) and the white bass (M. chrysops). It can be distinguished from the striped bass by broken rather than solid horizontal stripes on the body. Hybrid striped bass are considered better suited for culture in ponds than either parent species because they are more resilient to extremes of temperature and to low dissolved oxygen. They became part of aquaculture in the United States in the late 1980s. Most producers purchase the fish young (as fry or fingerlings) and raise them in freshwater ponds. Currently, about 10 million lb (4.5 million kg) are produced annually in the United States. Hybrid striped bass are used both as a gamefish and a food fish. Hybrid striped bass are produced two different ways. Some of these fish are produced by fertilizing eggs from white bass with sperm from striped bass; the resulting fish are also called 'sunshine bass' or 'Cherokee bass'. Others are produced by fertilizing eggs from striped bass with sperm from white bass; the resulting fish is called a 'palmetto bass'.