Hatchery-reared fingerlings of striped bass Morone saxatilis were tagged, stocked, and recovered in the Patuxent River, Maryland, to estimate their survival and abundance relative to wild young of the year and to compare the costs and benefits of stocking phase-I (35–50 mm, total length) and phase-II (150–200 mm) fish. About 100,000 phase-I fingerlings were tagged and released each year during mid