February 5, 2015 — The Board's chair Robert Boyle from South Carolina said the assessment has set the stage for them to discuss how they want to move forward in sustainably managing Atlantic menhaden.
The Atlantic Menhaden Management Board approved the 2014 benchmark menhaden stock assessment for management purposes at the winter meeting of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. The meetings was held this past week in Alexandria, Virginia.
The assessment found that menhaden are not being overfished and overfishing is not occurring relative to the current maximum spawning potential. The reproduction capability — or fecundity — is 71-percent higher than the target level.
The Board's chair Robert Boyle from South Carolina said the assessment has set the stage for them to discuss how they want to move forward in sustainably managing Atlantic menhaden.
"This discussion will include Board management objectives that address the needs of the reduction and bait fisheries as well as the ecological services menhaden provides as an important prey species," Boyle said in a prepared statement.
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