November 1, 2012 — The following is an excerpt from a petition released by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation:
For such a tiny fish, the menhaden's impact on the Bay is gigantic – the Bay's ecosystem depends on it as a primary food source.
But right now, overfishing has left the menhaden population at its lowest level on record. This jeopardizes other Bay species like striped bass, osprey, and loons.
Read the full petition on the Petition Site
Analysis: The Chesapeake Bay Foundation continues its misrepresentation of the status of the Atlantic menhaden population with a petition on the Petition Site, called “Save the Menhaden, Save the Bay.”
Though the petition claims that the menhaden population is at its lowest point on record, the 2010 menhaden stock assessment showed that current biomass levels of menhaden are similar to those seen in the late 1960s. According to NOAA’s Chesapeake Bay Office the stock is not overfished: “Based on the current reference point to evaluate stock condition, Atlantic menhaden are not considered overfished.” In addition, the most recent menhaden assessment shows that the species abundance, measured by the number of eggs produced, is at a level that is currently considered healthy, and is nearly twice the level needed in order to be considered overfished.
Missing from the discussion of the decline and growth of menhaden biomass is the role of climate and environment, two major influences on recruitment. Environmental conditions have fluctuated widely over time, producing circumstances that are alternately favorable and unfavorable for menhaden recruitment. Conditions in the late 1970s and early 1980s, for example, proved favorable, during a period when the menhaden industry was significantly larger than it is today. Environmental conditions since this time have been considerably less ideal. The relationship between menhaden and climate is recognized both by NOAA, which writes, “menhaden recruitment appears to be independent of fishing mortality and spawning stock biomass, indicating environmental factors may be the defining factor in the production of good year classes,” and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC), which concluded that fluctuations in menhaden abundance may be, “almost entirely driven by non-fishery sources.”
Although the Chesapeake Bay Foundation states that it is “pushing for fair and reasonable limits and fishing rules that protect the menhaden without financially penalizing local fishermen,” the organization does not provide an equitable description of the status of the menhaden stock, using biased phrasing in their articles to make the species seem in worse condition than it actually is.