WWNO 89.9 Presents Unfounded Claims and Opinions In Coverage of the Annual GSMFC Menhaden Advisory Committee Meeting
WASHINGTON (Saving Seafood) — April 25, 2014 — In their audio and written coverage of the annual 2014 Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission (GSMFC) Menhaden Advisory Committee meeting, "Managing Menhaden: A New Plan For 'The Most Important Fish In The Sea'" (3/31), New Orleans NPR Affiliate 89.9 WWNO included several factual errors and mischaracterizations regarding menhaden management in the Gulf of Mexico. WWNO's coverage ultimately gives readers the impression that the fishery is facing severe regulatory issues, but according to the GSMFC, "the Gulf menhaden fishery is probably the most closely monitored and managed fishery in the Gulf of Mexico."
Journalists and environmental special interest groups often refer to this little-known species as "the most important fish in the sea," but while attention grabbing, this qualification is void of any scientific basis. There is no evidence to support the idea that menhaden or any one fish in the Gulf ecosystem is "the most important." The title was first coined by an English professor, H. Bruce Franklin, who wrote a controversial book about the species. The term speaks to menhaden's role as a small fish that many larger and more well known species forage. But menhaden are just one of many species that fill this ecological role. In the Gulf, for example, small anchovies comprise the largest biomass of any fish, serving as a key forage species.
Since the book's publication, many of Dr. Franklin's assertions therein have been questioned as lacking scientific validity. The GSMFC's Menhaden Advisory Committee discussed the book in a March 2008 meeting and concluded that the Committee and others in the audience "agreed that the book should be sold as a book of fiction and generally disregarded."
Marianne Cufone, Director of the Recirculating Farms Coalition, who is quoted heavily in the article, makes the oft-repeated claim that menhaden "filter the waters of the Gulf." But that idea is based on a disproven theory that menhaden prevent algal blooms by decreasing nitrogen levels through the consumption of phytoplankton. Several studies on menhaden feeding habits show that only juvenile menhaden under a year old primarily consume phytoplankton . Adult menhaden – the age class of the species targeted by menhaden fishermen – consume very little phytoplankton and instead rely on zooplankton, which do not affect water quality. As a result, menhaden's filtering influence on water quality is limited. A 2010 study on menhaden in the Chesapeake Bay concluded that the species "probably play little role in removing nitrogen from Bay waters, and may actually provide additional nitrogen to Bay phytoplankton."
The WWNO segment relies heavily on anecdotal and unsubstantiated information while giving scant attention to regulators and scientists involved in the Gulf menhaden fishery, whose research and findings attest to the fishery's sustainability. The Gulf menhaden fishery is often lauded as an exemplary fishery by fisheries regulators and even recreational fishing publications. The most up-to-date and thorough science shows that the alleged issues raised by WWNO are negligible or non-existent.
Gulf menhaden populations are neither overfished nor experiencing overfishing, meaning, according to the most recent and comprehensive research, managers consider the species to be harvested sustainably. Last September, Louisiana Sportsman magazine showcased Gulf menhaden harvesters as a "close to perfect fishery," applauding the fishery's many environmental achievements such as low bycatch, accurate catch monitoring, and making use of the whole fish without producing waste.
WWNO's presentation of anecdotal concerns, namely those of a single charter boat captain, also lack the sort of scientific basis that would benefit an informed discussion on the Gulf menhaden fishery. Those mentions, particularly relating to the fishery's bycatch, are largely unproven. These bycatch assumptions are starkly contrasted by a large volume of comprehensive data. The Gulf menhaden fishery has spent millions of dollars incorporating bycatch reduction devices, and both Federal and state studies have repeatedly found "very low bycatch instances" in both the Gulf and Atlantic menhaden fisheries. In the Gulf, unintended catch is "one of the lowest of all the commercial fisheries in the United States," according to the GSMFC. These studies show that the fishery's bycatch is as low as 0.06 by number and 1 to 2.8 percent by weight. According to the Louisiana Sportsman, "Very few speckled trout or redfish are found in menhaden fishery bycatch." In addition, the GSMFC website explains that Federal and state observers are permitted to accompany the vessels at any time to record and monitor bycatch.
Nonetheless, public opinions and concerns are seriously considered by menhaden managers. WWNO's coverage incorrectly claims that the 2014 annual meeting was the first time that the Menhaden Advisory Board "allowed" public comments, when in fact the public has always had, and has previously taken advantage of, the opportunity to attend and informally speak at meetings, according to the Chairman of the Gulf Menhaden Advisory Committee. This particular meeting marked the first time that members of the public requested a formal public comment period, an opportunity that was granted.
Ms. Cufone's desire to see the fishery move toward a more comprehensive ecosystem-based management model is shared with managers and members of the fishery alike. While conducting the most recent Gulf menhaden stock assessment, regulators discussed ecosystem-based management, but concluded "that data and techniques are insufficient at present to incorporate them into the assessment." A comprehensive, whole-ecosystem approach to managing menhaden requires adequate information regarding interactions between species in the Gulf. Without up to date and accurate data, this method is less reliable and predictable than current management models. To adopt premature and incomplete ecosystem-based components to future stock assessments would prove difficult to accurately project the true health of a species' population.
The Gulf menhaden fishery has supported communities throughout the Gulf Coast for generations. The management of the fishery is highly transparent and supported by comprehensive data compiled over both the long term as well as within the last 12 months. Such information must be considered to accurately discuss the future management of this highly valued species.