In the striped bass (Marone saxatilis), and many other commercially important fish species, captivity results in an inability to complete final oocyte maturation (FOM), ovu lation , and spawning. We hypothesize that this effect is mediated by a disruption of the hypothalamo-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis at the level of the gonadotropin -releasing hormones (GnRHs). To confirm this hypothesis research was conducted focused on three objectives: First, to complement the battery of assays previously developed for analysis of the GnRH/GtH system in striped bass, an RNAse protection assay was developed to measure specific expression of the three forms of GnRH in striped bass (salmon GnRH, chicken GnRH-If and seabream GnRH). Secondly, effects of GnRH agonist-induced ovulation on the HPG axis of captive striped bass was examined by comparison of several reproductive endocrine parameters between females sampled at four stages of oocyte development. Finally, differences were examined between the reproductive endocrine status of wild and captive female striped bass. We conclude that sbGnRH is the most important form for the preovulatory release of pituitary GtH-II in striped bass. We suggest that captive females synthesize levels of GnRH mRNA that are comparable to their wild counterparts, however fail to release adequate quantities of bioactive GnRH within the pituitary to stimulate completion of FOM. This data may indicate that regulation of sbGnRH in striped bass occurs via post-transcriptional/ translational mechanisms. Furthermore, the presence of salmon GnRH in the pituitaries of captive fema les may be indicative of a possible role for salmon GnRH in the regulation of FOM.