January 12, 2015 — There are many promising signs, both anecdotally and scientifically, that menhaden numbers are increasing, rather than declining.
The Star Democrat’s coverage of rockfish harvest cuts (“Panel orders rockfish reduction,” 11/11) contains several statements from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Bill Goldsborough that misrepresent the relationship between menhaden and striped bass (“rockfish”), and the status of menhaden itself.
According to Mr. Goldsborough, a decline in menhaden is contributing to malnutrition in rockfish, and that further action by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) is required to address these “food web issues.” A link has never been established between bacterial infections in bass and a lack of menhaden, and the historical evidence shows that menhaden and striped bass have seldom been abundant in the Bay at the same time.
Read the full opinion at The Star Democrat