Act Now: Protect Menhaden

It was almost chilly enough to see my breath when I got down to the water this morning, just before first light. Certainly felt right for fall-run fishing.

First there was one splash, then another. Soon there was enough commotion on the surface that an early-morning walker stopped to ask what was in the water.

“Fish,” I told her. “Striped bass”

“Oh, stripahs!” The woman replied with enthusiasm. “What the heck are they doing?”

“They’re feeding,” I explained.

And that they were. Ten yards in front of me, small groups of peanut bunker – juvenile menhaden about 3 inches long – swam in a synchronized frenzy, trying to avoid the hungry mouths. If it weren’t for the peanut bunker, the stripers wouldn’t have been there, and neither would the dozen happy anglers to my left and right.

Baitfish are the key ingredient, the catalyst that causes the spectacular fall-run fishing we look forward to all year. In the fall, if you find the bait, you’ll usually find the bass and bluefish. Of course, baitfish are more than just the foundation of a good fall fishing trip. They are that all-important first link in the food chain, converting plant matter and plankton into oily fish flesh that sustains everything from birds to whales. In fact, menhaden have earned the nickname on the Atlantic Coast of “the most important fish in the sea.”

Any fisherman who has seen a school of big bass or bluefish tear through a school of adult menhaden (a.k.a. pogies or bunker) understands how important these baitfish in particular are as a food source for our sport fish. Unfortunately, it’s a sight that most anglers haven’t seen in years, as the big schools of menhaden have become increasingly rare, virtually disappearing from areas where, 10 years ago, they were common.

Menhaden don’t get a lot of respect. They are caught by industrial trawlers and ground-up as fishmeal, to be fed to dogs, chickens, pigs and farmed salmon, or rendered for fish-oil supplements. As a result, the menhaden stock is at its lowest point in recorded history.

Remarkably, just one company, Omega Protein, is responsible for catching nearly all the menhaden, and they have been allowed to get away with overfishing the menhaden stock by being very well politically connected, especially in the state of Virginia, which happens to be the only Atlantic state where they are allowed full access to the menhaden stock.

Finally this year, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) has supported new efforts to protect and rebuild the decimated menhaden stock, providing five options for menhaden management, ranging from the status quo to major reductions in catch totals. The strictest harvest limits could finally give menhaden the break from industrial fishing they so badly need.

“It’s an historic moment and it’s been a long time coming,” says Ken Hinman, president of the National Coalition for Marine Conservation (NCMC). “Finally, the ASMFC is recommending strong action to end years of depletion, action that will revive the heartbeat of the East Coast food web.”

Now it’s time for us to chime in and let the managers hear that we support the strongest action possible to protect menhaden stocks. It only takes 5 minutes to send an email, letting managers know that you are a fisherman and that you care about the importance of a healthy forage base of menhaden to keep striped bass, bluefish and the entire ecosystem healthy. Even easier, go to Menhaden Defenders and send an “I’m an angry angler” letter in under 30 seconds. Do it now.

Copies of Draft Addendum V are available on the Commission’s website (www.asmfc.org) under Breaking News or by contacting the Commission at 703.842.0740. The public comment deadline has been extended to 5:00 PM (EST) on November 2, 2011 and should be forwarded to Toni Kerns, Senior Fishery Management Plan Coordinator for Management, 1050 N. Highland St., Suite 200 A-N, Arlington, VA 22201; 703.842.0741 (FAX) or at tkerns@asmfc.org (Subject line: Menhaden Draft Addendum V).