The interstate panel that oversees fishing along the Eastern Seaboard voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to cut the menhaden catch by up to 37 percent next year in an effort to protect the species and, by extension, striped bass.
The 14-3 vote by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission was hailed by environmentalists and criticized by commercial fishermen who make their living catching menhaden for processing into animal feed and dietary supplements and for bait.
"This is historic," said Ken Hinman of the National Coalition for Marine Conservation. "This will leave more fish in the water to reproduce and rebuild the stock."
Menhaden, called "the most important fish in the sea" by conservationists because of its role as a food source for other fish, such as striped bass, and birds, has been in steady decline, with a population that stands at 8 percent of historic levels. But the commercial fishing industry has fought efforts to impose limits, which led to the showdown at the commission's annual meeting.
The atmosphere outside the hotel ballroom resembled a political convention rather than the normally low-key regulatory meeting. Recreational anglers bused in for the occasion handed out fliers and buttonholed commissioners, who had to walk by a 9-foot cardboard fish decorated in slogans. Governors and congressmen lobbied behind the scenes and in the open.
In a letter to the commission, Omega Protein said its nine-boat fishing fleet and processing plant in Reedville, Va., could accept a 23 percent reduction in the harvest. Virginia commissioners tried to steer the vote in that direction, but mustered little support.
Read the full article at the Baltimore Sun.
Analysis: While the article contends that menhaden are in "steady decline," it is important to note that, according to the most recent stock assessment by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC), the menhaden fishery is currently not overfished. There also is no recent pattern of overfishing, as it has only occurred once in the last 10 years of the assessment.