NYSG’s Antoinette Clemetson works closely with anglers, many of them striped bass enthusiasts. She’s also working with researcher Dr. Mark Fast at Stony Brook’s MADL who reports that Striped Bass Wasting Disease (Mycobacteriosis) has threatened striped bass in the Chesapeake Bay for more than a decade, affecting more than 70% of the striped bass population. Dr. Fast isolated the bacteria from striped bass caught in NY’s marine waters where the infection levels are much lower, affecting approximately 20% of the population. This disease is being monitored closely by the MADL research team because the pathogens can be transmitted to humans who handle infected fish and can cause illness.