J. Bulak, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, 1921 Van Boklen Road, Eastover, SC 29044.

D. Allen and C. Thomason, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, 1324 Dunbarton Boulevard, Barnwell, SC 29812.

B. Ely, Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208. R. Dunham, Southeastern Cooperative Genetics Project, Swingle Hall, Auburn University, Auburn, AL

The coastal rivers of South Carolina contain striped bass Morone saxatilis populations of varying sizes. Historically, striped bass populations in these rivers had received relatively minimal attention and were intermittently augmented by hatchery-produced progeny from the Santee-Cooper system. In recent years, population and genetic surveys of coastal rivers, primarily the Combahee River, were conducted to better define population structure, inter-river migration, and the success of hatchery stockings. Combahee River tagging studies revealed minimal inter-river migrations and produced a Schnabel population estimate of approximately 500 striped bass > 300 mm TL. Hatchery stocking of 10,000 phase II fingerlings in 1990 resulted in a 25% contribution to that cohort. An allozyme survey revealed low genetic diversity but suggested differences among rivers. Three polymorphic, nuclear PCR-RFLP markers showed population subdivision among the State's three major drainages, the Pee Dee, Santee, and ACE basin. Based on these recent surveys, a policy of treating each major drainage as a distinct management unit and stocking coastal rivers with endemic broodstock has been suggested. Possible summer habitat limitations in Combahee river is now a primary research question.