February 2, 2015 — Menhaden may or may not be the most important fish in the sea, but the oily little fish is again generating a pretty big debate about how many of them can be caught along the Atlantic coast and still leave enough behind for other fish and wildlife to eat.
A little more than two years after authorities clamped down on harvests of Atlantic menhaden, prompting protests from Maryland watermen and other commercial fishermen, a new analysis by scientists finds they are in better shape — better, in fact, than believed when the catch was cut back.
The most heavily harvested fish on the East Coast, menhaden are caught for processing into animal feed and health supplements, and for use as bait in catching other fish, including crabs and lobsters. But menhaden also happen to be a prime food source for many other fish and birds, including striped bass, or rockfish.
More than three-fourths of the coastwide catch is netted by Omega Protein's fishing fleet, operating out of Reedville, Va. The company and its Virginia supporters had protested the earlier catch restrictions, as had watermen.
The new study concludes that Atlantic menhaden are "not overfished" and that "overfishing is not occurring" — the reverse of what scientists had found several years ago, prompting the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission to order a 20 percent reduction in the commercial harvest.
The commission, which regulates fishing along the East Coast, is set to review the new findings when it meets Tuesday in Alexandria, Va.
Commercial fishing interests contend this fresh analysis shows there was no need to cut the menhaden harvest before, that fishing pressure cannot be blamed for poor reproduction, and that it's time now to ease the catch limits. The Menhaden Fisheries Coalition, an industry group, says "it is clear that the menhaden fishery is sustainably managed, and that responsible increases in menhaden quotas are supported by this new science."
Read the full story from the Baltimore Sun