September 10, 2012 — The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) has taken another big step toward increasing abundance of menhaden, also known as bunker or pogies. At its summer meeting in August, the 15-state Menhaden Management Board approved draft Amendment 2 to the Atlantic Menhaden Fishery Management Plan, setting the stage for a decision on catch reductions this December that would take effect in 2013.
ASMFC's scientific team updated the menhaden stock assessment and presented the results to the Board on August 8th. They affirmed in their report and during their presentation that overfishing is occurring and that the stock is likely overfished according to the new, more conservative reference points adopted by the Commission to rebuild a population that is at an historic low and enhance menhaden's important contribution as a prey species.
Unfortunately, problems with the assessment model argue against its use in recommending specific catch reductions to achieve the rebuilding targets. So the Board approved an ad hoc method of determining total allowable catch (TAC) to stop overfishing, one used by the federal regional councils in this kind of situation. Basically, it reduces catches from recent levels after weighing a number of criteria, such as status of the stock, life history, resilience to fishing pressure, and ecological importance.