Monty Deihl, who directs fishing operations for Omega Protein in Northumberland County, Virginia, has written two opinion pieces on the menhaden fishery which were published over the Thanksgiving holiday.
November 27, 2012 — In the Fredericksburg (Virginia) Free Lance-Star, Mr. Deil argues that "while the environmental advocacy community claims these precipitous cuts are necessary to conserve the resource, the truth is much more nuanced."
And in the Roanoke (Virginia) Times, Mr. Deil engaged in a "point-counterpoint" with Chris Moore of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.
Menhaden: Not overfished, not endangered
by Monty Deihl
Environmental organizations, including local groups such as the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, have taken this opportunity to push for sharp catch reductions. The CBF advocates an immediate 25 percent reduction in harvests, while Pew Environment is pushing for an even steeper 50 percent cut.
In 2010, an ASMFC stock assessment found that menhaden were experiencing overfishing, meaning that, in 2008 (the last year of the assessment) fishing exceeded the ASMFC's designated mortality limit. This triggered the management process culminating in this December's prospective catch limits.
But the recent history of the fishery has not been marked by a pattern of over-exploitation: In 2008 overfishing was slight (0.4 percent over the limit), and this was only the second time in the period from 1993 to 2008 where it had even occurred. The stock fared even better in measures of fecundity (the number of eggs produced). The assessment found the population was producing more than enough eggs to sustain itself, meaning it was not overfished.
Further complicating the management process is the 2012 assessment. While it concluded that overfishing was still occurring but that the population was not overfished, the assessment was regarded by the ASMFC's Menhaden Technical Committee as severely flawed, especially in its pessimistic estimations of menhaden biomass and fishing mortality.
The committee found that these flaws were so bad that the assessment was unfit for management advice. As a result, officials at the ASMFC are now expected to regulate a fishery whose exact status is uncertain and regarding which the last reliable data come from 2008.
Omega Protein recognizes the importance of menhaden conservation. But good conservation is based on sound science and strikes a balance between the concerns of environmentalists and the needs of fishermen whose livelihoods are at stake. Pushing for Draconian cuts despite incomplete evidence does the opposite, needlessly hurting fishing communities while not advancing long-term conservation goals.
Read the op-ed in the Fredericksburg (Virginia) Free Lance-Star
Menhaden: Point/Counterpoint
Menhaden is not overfished
by Monty Diehl
Given the lack of reliable information, a cap based on three-year average landings level could be the best option. Under that approach, harvest cuts would be about 7 percent lower than in 2011. This will allow the menhaden stock to continue its growth while fishermen and fishing communities continue to survive. In contrast, proposed cuts in the range of 20 percent to 50 percent will result in significant job loss.
Omega Protein directly provides 250 jobs, and indirectly provides hundreds more. Its annual economic contribution is $88 million in a region where dependable, good-paying jobs are scarce. It is the largest private and also the largest minority employer in Northumberland County. The United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 400 has asked fellow union members to support Omega fishermen.
Conservation of our marine resources is essential. But good conservation is based on sound science. Federal law clearly states that while preventing overfishing and rebuilding stocks, regulators are to "take into account the importance of fishery resources to fishing communities." Taking drastic action on inconclusive evidence helps neither the fish nor the fishermen.
More menhaden, more bait, more jobs
by Chris Moore
Finally, the industry uses the threat of massive job losses to argue against harvest reductions. However, there once were numerous menhaden industrial plants up and down the East Coast, employing thousands of workers. Today, with menhaden numbers the lowest on record, those fisheries have severely contracted. The Reedville plant is the only one left.
Is maintaining the status quo really the best course for the industry? In the long term, conserving menhaden will restore jobs, not destroy them.
Clearly, more aggressive steps must be taken to protect the menhaden population to enhance both the coastal ecosystem and menhaden-related jobs. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation calls upon the ASMFC to produce a robust menhaden conservation plan when it meets on Dec. 14, and for the Virginia General Assembly to approve its implementation during the 2013 legislative session.
Read the "point-counterpoint" in the Roanoke (Virginia) Times