CHARLOTTE (AP) — Fisheries biologists with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission have stocked Lake Norman with hybrid striped bass to counter recent summertime kills.
The commission says it stocked the lake with 162,500 hybrid striped bass, marking a shift in its management of the reservoir from a striped bass fishery to a hybrid striped bass fishery.
Commission staff has traditionally stocked the lake with striped bass each year. Over the last 10 years, striped bass have suffered from kills related to habitat preferences and feeding habits.
The hybrid striped bass that the commission stocked on Wednesday are a cross between female striped bass and male white bass. Hybrid striped bass are considered more resilient to warmer water and are expected to remain in the upper layer of the lake during the summer.