A new review of the Atlantic menhaden stock confirms that the population continues to exist at a low level and-for the first time-suggests that overfishing has taken place in a number of recent years.
ut the assessment stops short of blaming the commercial fishery for the ongoing low abundance of fish, especially juveniles, noting that there has been little correlation between the amount of menhaden harvested and reproduction.
Nonetheless, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, the multistate agency responsible for managing the species along the East Coast, directed its technical advisers to begin exploring new management options, with an eye toward recommending changes by the end of this year.
It's the latest development in the heated controversy over the small oily fish, which pits the Bay's largest commercial fishery against recreational fishermen and environmentalists.
Read the complete story at The Chesapeake Bay Journal.