In the 1940s, the Santee River in South Carolina was dammed as part of the Santee Cooper Reservoir project. Eventually, striped bass populations that had been landlocked during the project began reproducing successfully in the freshwater impoundment.

As a result, biologists began introducing freshwater striped bass in other locations. Descendents of landlocked Santee Cooper striped bass have been stocked in lakes, reservoirs, and rivers throughout North America.