Lewes — Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission officials and fishermen agree: Menhaden have been overfished for 32 of the last 54 years, and their current population is at the lowest level on record.
Stakeholders are trying to determine the best methods, rules and regulations to adopt that would give menhaden a chance to bounce back.
Speaking at a Sept. 26 public meeting, Eidman said menhaden, a forage fish, play an important role in feeding larger game fish such as striped bass, tuna, weakfish, marine mammals and several bird species.
He said recreational fishing businesses and the businesses they support are already being adversely affected because there are fewer menhaden.
Fishermen and others concerned about fish conservation say menhaden are the most important fish in the world and their ever-decreasing numbers are causing a negative ripple throughout the region.
Menhaden Defenders, Coalition to Protect Fisheries and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, which held the meeting to hear comments about proposed regulations, agree about many things, chief among them is that the menhaden population has declined by 88 percent in the last three decades.
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Analysis: According to the ASFMC's most recent stock assessment, the menhaden population has not been overfished in the past ten years, except for 2008. The article also calls for limits to be set at 15% MSP. Menhaden are currently fished at levels around 8% MSP, and in the past 55 years, the population has rarely exceeded 10% MSP.
The article is also incorrect in blaming poor health in striped bass on the level of menhaden in the Bay. As part of their ongoing ChesMMAP study, VIMS has analyzed the diets of several species of fish, and menhaden only make up a small percentage of the diet of many species. For example, they have been found to make up as little as 9.6% of striped bass diet, even though the exact number will fluctuate given location of the bass or prevalence of other feed species.