Will the ASMFC make history August 2?
The ASMFC Menhaden Management Board will convene at 4:15pm next Tuesday to consider creating an addendum to the Menhaden Fishery Management Plan. The Plan Development Team has recommended a new Maximum Spawning Potential (MSP) threshold of 15% of an unfished (virgin) stock. Also, they are proposing a range of MSP targets of 20%, 30%, and 40%. The public will then have until the ASMFC's November meeting to comment on the proposed addendum. The current menhaden stock is currently at 8% MSP, well below the proposed 15% MSP threshold, and even further below any of the proposed target MSPs.
The ASMFC, in a close vote, rejected more stringent MSP thresholds of 25% and 40% at their last session in March. This in spite of the fact that several organizations recommend MSPs of up to 70% for forage stocks.
There is a reason that the ASMFC has not acted to restore menhaden before now. Until the most recent stock assessment, based on the current reference points, overfishing was not occurring. Since the stock has declined an alarming 88% in the last 25 years, one can easily question whether the reference points were properly set to protect the menhaden and the ecosystems of the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic.
Our concern regarding menhaden is whether the stock is sufficiently large to satisfy the needs of fish, bird, and marine mammal predators. While the ASMFC is seeking a long term interspecies approach to menhaden management, we need interim short term action to assure the health of the ecosystems.
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