Stewardship

Menhaden in Crisis along the

U.S. Eastern Seaboard

Editorial

On December 14, 2012, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) will hold a vote that could determine the fate of recreational fishing and the ecosystems that our fisheries depend upon along the United States’ Eastern Seaboard. The vote is in regard to the future management of Atlantic menhaden (Brevoortia tyrannus), commonly called “pogies,” “bunker” or “moss bunker.” Whether you target tarpon in the Florida Keys, or stripers in Maine, or virtually any U.S. East Coast predators that feed primarily on fish, this vote will strongly impact your fishing future. Leading up to the vote, www.flyandlighttackleangler.com will publish perspectives from notable anglers from affected states, and post links to blogs and editorials provided by other outdoor enthusiasts and experts. This mosaic of perspectives demonstrates clearly how serious the situation has become, and how imperative it is for the ASMFC to take dramatic actions to restore this most essential of species.

The Situation Room

Atlantic menhaden stand at ten percent or less of the historic population and are at an all-time low, thanks mostly to a rapacious company called Omega Protein, whose Atlantic factory is based in Reedville, Virginia.

“Omega” seines upward of 80 percent of the catch, and grinds it into dietary supplements, fertilizer, pet food, and feed for aquaculture, chickens and pigs. The publicly traded, vertically integrated company has largely caused overfishing of menhaden to occur in the population in 32 of the past 54 years. Overfishing is defined as the taking of a population out of an ocean ecosystem faster than it can reproduce itself.

The situation has become so dire that for the past two years it’s required “all hands on deck” advocacy by recreational fishing groups such as several Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) state organizations, for many Audubon Society Chapters, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Menhaden Defenders and a slew of the nation’s most respected conservation groups.

Hundreds of coastal businesses have weighed in, as did dozens of leading PhD scientists, and more than 90,000 individuals in 2011 and some 120,000 leading up to the December, 2012 vote. To rebuild the population and return the biomass to somewhere in range of what a healthy northwestern Atlantic needs, the commission must adopt a coast-wide annual catch limit and support measures that reduce the catch by at least 50 percent below recent levels. It should commit to meet that goal within five years.

The Facts about Atlantic Menhaden

Menhaden provide a most essential source of nutrition for a tremendous variety of predators. Notables include: striped bass, bluefish, most mackerels, all tunas, tarpon, cobia, many drums including redfish, spotted seatrout and weakfish, snook, billfishes including sailfish, whales, ospreys, eagles, gannets, and other seabirds. These are the species that drive the economies of coastal communities, supporting sustainable recreational and commercial fishing, as well as diverse wildlife watching opportunities, not to mention the massive tourism-related businesses that benefit from these industries.

Menhaden, which are often called “the most important fish in the ocean,” provide several profound ecosystem services. Foremost, they provide organisms higher in the foodweb with vastly superior nutritional elements, including proteins like Omega 3 fatty acids.

Without such nutrition, or even with less of it, animals struggle in many ways, from making long-distance migrations back to spawning grounds, to fending off infections, to actually having the energy to produce viable eggs and sperm.

Perhaps the most alarming direct impact is the impact on reproduction. But many striped bass, especially in the Chesapeake region, are suffering from skin lesions linked to weaknesses in their immune system caused by malnutrition. “Trophic cascades” are also being documented. For instance, weakfish have virtually disappeared, and it is likely a consequence of striped bass and bluefish eating them instead of menhaden. There are plenty of other examples. Finally, menhaden, as filter feeders, play vital roles in maintaining water quality.

Down to the Wire

FLTA Senior Editor Terry Gibson will attend the December 14 ASMFC meeting in Baltimore, Maryland, and keep us apprised of the proceedings via social media. If you are in the Baltimore area or care to travel, you’re encouraged to attend. The meeting is open to the public. Gibson will follow up with a thorough report on the implications of whatever the commissioners decide. The FLTA editorial board sent a letter to the ASMFC stating our position on the issue, which is that a moratorium would be the most appropriate action and that at minimum the harvest should be cut in half, with a fair allocation going to the bait industry. Stay tuned for on-water perspectives about the menhaden crisis.

--FLTA Editorial Board