A sport fish on the brink: Striped Bass in the Ochlockonee River drainage, Florida.

The article focuses on the decline of larger Striped Bass (Morone saxatilis) in Lake Talquin and the Ochlockonee River drainage, Florida, a key fishery and broodfish source for Gulf of Mexico restoration efforts. Research conducted in 2020–2022 found that marginal and transitory summer thermal and dissolved oxygen refuges likely contribute to high natural mortality, especially among older, larger fish, resulting in a truncated age structure dominated by younger cohorts. A tagging study estimated a 25% annual angler exploitation rate, primarily below the dam, but natural mortality due to poor summer habitat conditions appears to be the main factor limiting older fish survival. The findings have prompted management changes, including new harvest regulations and habitat restoration efforts aimed at improving summer refuge conditions to conserve this population amid climate change impacts.