Hybrid striped bass
Morone chrysops × M. saxatilis
Also known asWiper
Water parameters
Minimum tank: 500 L per individual at harvest size.
Feed and growth
- Feed protein
- 40% target
- Daily feed (warm)
- 1.30% of body weight
- Daily feed (cool)
- 0.80% of body weight
- Max density
- 40 g per litre
A 1000 g adult eats about 13.0 g of feed per day at optimum. 10 fish at adult size: ~130 g daily.
Legality
Rules vary by jurisdiction and change over time. Verify with your local fisheries or wildlife authority before stocking.
| Jurisdiction | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| California | permit required | verified 2026-05-13 |
Unlisted jurisdictions default to "check local regulations".
Origin and habitat
The hybrid striped bass is a cross between striped bass (Morone saxatilis) and white bass (Morone chrysops). It comes in two forms: the palmetto bass, from a female striped bass and a male white bass, and the sunshine bass, the reverse, from a female white bass and a male striped bass; the sunshine bass is the one usually farmed. First produced in the 1960s in South Carolina, the hybrid has grown into a notable US aquaculture fish, the fourth most farmed finfish in the country behind catfish, salmonids, and tilapia, at several thousand tonnes a year. It shows hybrid vigor, combining the fast growth and size of striped bass with the heat tolerance and pond hardiness of white bass, and reaches a harvest size of about half a kilogram to two kilograms. The flesh is firm, mild, and white to pink, with a clean taste that suits buyers who find catfish or tilapia too muddy. Wild striped bass is a premium fish, and the hybrid offers a farm-raised alternative at lower cost.
Climate and outdoor ponds
- Climate
- temperate (handles seasonal swings)
- USDA zones
- 5–11 (winter low around -29°C or warmer)
- Heating needed
- no
- Cooling needed
- no
Care notes
A warm-temperate food fish for aquaponics where a premium white-fleshed species is wanted. It grows best around 24–28°C within a tolerated range of about 8–33°C, reaching 500–1 g in twelve to eighteen months on a high-protein pellet of 40 to 45 percent. Feed conversion is good on a quality diet, roughly 1.0 to 1.2 in trials, though commercial pond figures run higher. The fish is fussier about water than catfish or tilapia: it needs more aeration and is less tolerant of ammonia, showing visible stress and surface gasping below about 3 mg/L of oxygen, so keep dissolved oxygen up and ammonia low. These are active schooling swimmers that want room and do better in elongated or round tanks than cramped square ones. Feed training matters: buy fingerlings already weaned to pellets in the hatchery, since fish switched from live food later perform poorly. Cannibalism shows up when sizes are mixed, so grade often and keep cohorts within about a fifth of each other in length. Fingerlings come from hatcheries in the southeastern US, mainly North Carolina, and the fish is legal in most states without special permits. The F1 hybrid is largely sterile and rarely reproduces, which keeps populations from running away. It is a premium product, selling around $8 to $15 per kilogram, so it pays off for growers with access to restaurants or farmers' markets.