Visit the Herring Point surf fishing area at Cape Henlopen State Park one weekend this time of year and you'll begin to understand the recreational and economic importance of the lowly menhaden fish.
The Lewes fishing beach is often as packed with vehicles as a Rehoboth Beach outlet on a rainy Saturday, and the big lure for these fishermen is big fish: blues and striped bass, among others. These prized predator fish are attracted to the area by schools of Atlantic menhaden, a small, silvery species that has been called “the most important fish in the sea” by scientists, fishermen and environmentalists alike (a title notably introduced by H. Bruce Franklin in his book on the menhaden’s historic importance to marine ecology and coastal populations).
But times have changed, and the menhaden stocks are declining – fast.
While schools of menhaden have been spotted in Delaware Bay this year, the overall size of the population along the coast is at record low levels. Scientists affiliated with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC), the 15-state regulatory body that oversees management of the species, estimate the menhaden population is now only 8 percent of its historic levels, with 10 percent of its former spawning capacity.
Scientists found that menhaden have been subject to sustained overfishing, with harvests that may be threatening the species’ ability to provide enough forage for all the other fish and mammals that rely on it.
While it’s no prize trophy for a sport fisherman, menhaden is a critical link in the marine ecosystem, feeding large predatory species including striped bass, bluefish, tuna, cod and swordfish, as well as haddock, halibut and king mackerel. The fish is also an important bait for crabs and lobsters. Menhaden also feed ospreys, pelicans, loons, sea turtles and other marine mammals and birds.
On Sept. 26, the ASMFC will conduct a hearing in Lewes to solicit public comments on possible new commercial harvest limits for menhaden (known locally as “ bunker”).
Read the full article at Delaware Online.
Analysis: The article overestimates the level of danger to the menhaden fishery. Contrary to the article's claims, menhaden have not been subject to "sustained overfishing"; the ASMFC has concluded that not only is menhaden not overfished, but that overfishing on menhaden had only occured once in the last ten years. Menhaden are currently fished to levels around 8% of their Maximum Spawning Potential (MSP); MSP is not a historical measurement but is based on the spawning potential of a theoretical unfished population. In the past 55 years, the menhaden population has rarely exceeded 10% MSP.
Striped bass are opportunistic feeders; their diets vary widely depending on what is available, and the species is not entirely reliant on menhaden. Data from the Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife places menhaden anywhere from first to fifth on its Index of Relative Importance (IRI) and the amount of menhaden consumed varies greatly from year to year. Regardless, the striped bass have been judged to have a sufficient food supply. Similarly, the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) has an ongoing survey of the Chesapeake Bay, ChesMMAP, that, among other things, examines the diets of several species of Bay fish. They measured that menhaden can make up as little as 9.6% of striped bass diet.