Anglers like me are often impressed with size. We seek out the largest fish, revel in stories about the “big one” that got away, and proudly display photos of our most impressive catches. But it’s a small, unassuming fish, the Atlantic menhaden, which forms the backbone of ecosystems and economies along the East Coast of the United States.
Unfortunately, after decades of poorly regulated fishing, menhaden are in serious trouble.
The good news is that the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC), which manages the fishery, is poised to take historic steps to restore this valuable species. When the ASMFC meets next week in Boston from November 7-10, it will consider the many ways menhaden are used: for commercial products such as omega 3 fatty acid pills and factory farm feed; as bait for commercial and recreational fishermen, who target larger fish; and, most importantly, as a pillar of the East Coast marine food web.
Menhaden were once abundant along the Atlantic seaboard, forming schools up to 40 miles long. These giant “pods” made up a central link in ocean ecosystems along the East Coast, providing a primary nutrition source for larger fish, seabirds, and marine mammals.
Americans rely on many of the predators that eat menhaden. We consume tuna, cod, and striped bass. Entire communities depend on income derived from recreational fishing, as well as wildlife and bird watching. There are plenty of ecological and financial reasons why this small animal is often called “the most important fish in the sea.”
By weight, more menhaden are caught than any other fish on the East Coast, and about three-quarters of this catch comes from the Chesapeake Bay and surrounding ocean waters. A single factory in Reedville, Va., takes in and grinds up this haul, reducing it to fish meal and oil destined for dietary supplements, fertilizer, farm animal feed, and pet food.
Because menhaden are mainly caught in state waters (less than three miles from the beach), they are managed by the ASMFC and are not governed by the requirements of the federal Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, which I’ve described in earlier posts. There is no catch limit for Atlantic menhaden, only an unenforceable cap, with no accountability measures in place.
Read the full article at National Geographic News Watch.
Analysis: The article uses fisheries data selectively to make the case that menhaden are more threatened than the data indicates. For example, the article claims that "safe fishing targets" have been exceeded every year for the past 50 years and that there is "confusion on whether the species is overfished." However, looking at the latest stock assessment by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) reveals no clear pattern of overfishing in the last decade. According to the assessment, and contrary to the assertions of the article, the fishery is currently judged to be not overfished, and in the last ten years, overfishing has only occurred once. In addition, egg production from the fishery is currently at its target.
Similarly, the article claims that menhaden are at "less than 10% of historical levels" without providing sufficient context. Menhaden are currently fished to 8% of their Maximum Spawning Potential (MSP), which is an estimate of a theoretical unfished population and not an historical figure. This, however, is not an indicaton that menhaden are overfished; in the past several decades, menhaden have rarely exceeded 10% MSP, and at that level the stock has been able to rebuild itself.