It appears the managers of Atlantic coast fisheries may finally be moving to curtail the catch of menhaden after a new report found the lowly but vital fish has declined to historic low numbers after being repeatedly overharvested the past 50-plus years.
As reported today by Sun outdoors writer Candus Thomson, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission unanimously called for a committee of experts to come up with more conservative regulatory benchmarks for ensuring the sustainability of the Atlantic's menhaden population. The federally appointed body of fisheries managers acted after a "stock asssessment" by scientists found the overall abundance of the fish had fallen, the commercial and recreational catches were well over the target level and the reproductive potential was way down.
The move is a relief for recreational anglers, conservation groups and many biologists who have been pressing for years for tighter curbs on the catch of menhaden, contending that the base of the Chesapeake Bay's food chain is being depleted. The small fish - dubbed "the most important fish in the sea" by writer H. Bruce Franklin - is a major part of the diet of striped bass and other fish in the bay and along the entire Atlantic coast. In particular, the bay's striped bass or rockfish, though abundant, have been showing signs of malnutrition and illness for years, which many attributed to a shortage of menhaden.
Menhaden are not caught for their inherent food value - they taste nasty, I understand. Rather, they are sought as bait for other fish and even more for their oil, which is high in heart-healthy Omega-3 fatty acids.