A New Jersey Angler's Proposed Boycott of Pet Food Containing Menhaden Oils Won't Help Fisheries Management or Healthy Pet Diets
WASHINGTON (Saving Seafood) April 30, 2014 — In a recent article appearing on the Jersey Coast Anglers Association's website, Captain Paul Eidman, both a recreational fisherman and frequent blogger, urges anglers to boycott pet food enriched with Omega-3 fatty acids from menhaden. He alleges that the harvesting of menhaden means that food is "literally being taken right out of the mouths of the fish we catch," which is plainly untrue. While his concerns are sincere, his reasoning is unfounded. His proposed boycott does not benefit sustainable fishery management and would ultimately work against the nutritional needs of healthy pets, as menhaden fish oils provide unparalleled levels of essential nutrients.
The crux of Captain Eidman's argument rests on the assumption that menhaden fishing is both unsustainable and harmful to larger fish species. But neither of these claims are supported by scientific evidence or management data. In fact, the most recent and comprehensive science shows otherwise. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission (GSMFC), neither Atlantic menhaden nor those in the Gulf of Mexico are considered overfished, both fisheries have extremely low bycatch, and the fisheries make use of the whole fish, which reduces waste and increases efficiency. Last September, the Gulf menhaden fishery was lauded as a "close to perfect fishery" by the Louisiana Sportsman.
In addition, both the Gulf and Atlantic menhaden fisheries are strictly monitored and regulated. The GSMFC website states that, "the Gulf menhaden fishery is probably the most closely monitored and managed fishery in the Gulf of Mexico." In May 2013, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) implemented an historically strict and unprecedented harvest cut on Atlantic menhaden — which Captain Eidman publicly supported — to ensure that the species' harvest continues at sustainable levels. Ironically, after backing these new strict regulatory cuts, Captain Eidman now writes that menhaden and other smaller fish are "carelessly" harvested and "have fallen through the cracks" of regulations. These claims are demonstrably untrue, with regulators more focused than ever on maintaining healthy menhaden populations in the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic.
Captain Eidman also argues that "gamefish and everything else in the ecosystem" rely on menhaden for survival. But such a claim is not based on scientific data and highly exaggerates menhaden's ecological role. These small fish are just one of several species upon which larger fish feed. In the Gulf, for example, anchovies comprise the largest fish biomass and serve as a key forage species. In the Atlantic, years of research from NOAA scientist Dr. Bob Wood indicates that menhaden and the popular gamefish striped bass are not plentiful at the same time due to large-scale weather patterns. While menhaden and many other species that occupy a similar ecological niche are important to larger marine fish, Captain Eidman's proposed boycott appears punitive and unduly singles out menhaden, while misconstruing the fish's ecological role. His assertions are based on unfounded assumptions that work against scientific efforts to achieve sustainable fishery management, which balances both the needs of the ecosystem with those of fishermen and their communities.
Captain Eidman, despite being a self-proclaimed pet-lover, also ignores the nutritional value of pet foods enriched with menhaden oils. The omega-3 fatty acids and protein in menhaden fish meal are essential to the health of pets, supporting crucial functions like memory, learning, and heart health. Studies show that menhaden fish meal is 17 percent higher in protein digestibility than other fish products, which enables pets to get more nutritional benefits from their food. Menhaden fish oil is high in omega-3 fatty acids and has the best amino acid profile of any single protein source, providing unmatched benefits for pets. Multiple studies show that products containing menhaden ingredients promote skin and coat health, support functions of eye and brain tissues, boost fertility and reproductive health, increase trainability, maintain healthy bones and joints, prevent arthritic diseases, improve moods and behavior, and can even extend an animal's lifespan.
The commercial menhaden fisheries in the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico are two of the most closely monitored and heavily regulated fisheries in the United States, all to ensure the species' sustainable harvest for a variety of uses. For animals and their owners, including Captain Eidman, that means pet foods enriched with omega-3 fatty acids and other nutrients whose benefits to animal nutrition are well documented.
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