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Missing Menhaden

Fact Sheet

Atlantic Menhaden CampaignHow the decline of one small fish threatens the marine food web

Often known as "the most important fish in the sea," Atlantic menhaden play a vital role in the marine ecosystem from Maine to Florida. These fish, which barely reach a foot long, are a critical source for wildlife and valuable fish species. Yet their number has plummeted to a record low. Billions of Atlantic menhaden have been hauled in and ground up, removed from their ecosystem mostly to be used in fertilizer, pet food, dietary supplements and feed for agricultural animals and farm-raised fish.

The menhaden shortage is taking a toll on the wild animals and fish that eat them, threatening the entire Atlantic marine food web and the commercial and sport fishing industries that depend on a healthy ocean.

Fishing too fast for too few fish

In terms of weight, more menhaden are caught than any other fish on the East Coast. And one company, Omega Protein, operates a fleet that each year scoops up about three-quarters of the entire East Coast catch—more than 410 million pounds. Most of the catch comes from the Chesapeake Bay, a critical habitat for juvenile menhaden, but the fleet also catches menhaden along the Atlantic coast from New Jersey to North Carolina.

The plan to save Menhaden

In November, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission will meet to discuss menhaden's plight. The commission—made up of state lawmakers, environmental agency workers, federal officials, fishermen and industry representatives—manages fishing policies in coastal waters of the 15 Atlantic states.

Independent scientists have told commissioners that more menhaden must be left in the water to reproduce and more quickly replenish the severely depleted population. To ensure enough menhaden for predators to eat and for fishermen to catch, management measures must allow the population to at least quadruple its current size. But commissioners are also considering proposals inconsistent with the best available science, and maintaining the status quo is still a possibility.

Pew will push for a science-based rebuilding plan and also for rules, such as catch limits, to help managers effectively enforce it. When successful, these efforts will have lasting positive effects on the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Coast.

For More Information

Visit www.PewEnvironment.org/Menhaden.

Project Directors

New England and mid-Atlantic: Peter Baker, 508.641.4064
Southeast: Holly Binns, 850.322.7845

Media inquiries: Dan Klotz, 202.887.8855/Debbie Salamone, 407.982.0958

Fact Sheet File: Missing Menhaden (PDF)

 

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