Gyotaku, or Japanese fish printing, was originally used to record and commemorate a fisherman’s catch.
Chokusetsu-ho, or the direct style, is the most similar to the original methodology.

Not only can this method result in pleasing illustration or fine art prints, but it is also used for fish identification and record keeping.

The subject in this print is a Striped Bass (Morone saxatilis), who have a prominent nursery area in Chesapeake Bay, Maryland, in the Mid Atlantic region.

Striped bass suffered severe population decline in the 70's and 80's, but recovered through subsequent fishing moratoriums and conservation efforts.