Objection! A response to the Oct. 23 editorial "A decidedly fishy lack of regulation"
Your editorial on menhaden made several bold claims about the health of the menhaden fishery but failed to back them up with any substantial evidence. A closer look at the best available data reveals a different picture.
Claiming that the damage done to the menhaden fishery is "self-evident," the article impugns the integrity of the fisheries data supplied by the industry without offering proof. Instead, it suggests that anecdotal evidence is a more reliable data source. Data is collected by the industry in close cooperation with the National Marine Fisheries Service and is not manipulated in any way, and this data has formed the core of the stock assessments for more than 50 years. To imply otherwise does not advance the cause of managing the fishery with the best available science.
Furthermore, your assertion that the menhaden fishery is in danger is not scientifically supported. In the most recent assessment, it was found that menhaden had been slightly overfished, only .4 percent above the limit; however, this was the only time in the past 10 years, and only the third time in the past 16 years, that overfishing occurred.
While the editorial is correct in noting that overfishing had occurred numerous times in the past, we find that it is more realistic to view the status of the menhaden population over the past 20 years or so.
When taking into account the menhaden removals by the fishing industry, it is imperative to consider egg-production of the species to determine the health of the stock. According to the most recent stock assessment, menhaden population fecundity estimate was nearly twice (18.6 trillion eggs) the level needed to replace the stock (9.3 trillion eggs). This constitutes clear scientific evidence that the Atlantic menhaden population is not in danger of collapse.
Read the full editorial at The Virginian-Pilot.