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Menhaden, What the Experts are Saying |
“The
population of menhaden has been so depleted in estuaries and bays
up and down the Eastern Seaboard that even marine biologists
who look kindly on commercial fishing are alarmed.” “I have witnessed the destruction of all the large schools of Menhaden by purse seiners: the menhaden population has crashed to an all-time low.” Bryan Taplin, Environmental Protection Agency . “Menhaden have disappeared.” Biologist, Paul Spitzer. “There's nothing in the Chesapeake Bay that can take the place of menhaden…menhaden are king…You have a crashing menhaden population with the potential to cause a major ecosystem problem.” Jim Uphoff, Stock Assessment Coordinator, Maryland Department of Natural Resources. “Over-fishing of menhaden is just like removing your liver, and you can't survive without a liver.” Marine Biologist, Sara Gottlieb. “We are what destroyed the fishery..The industry destroyed their own fishery, and they're still at it.” Hall Watters, Retired Menhaden Pilot. “The
stock gets smaller, but still tends to school. Thus, they take
a larger
fraction of the population as the stock is going
down.” “What’s extreme, is to continue to do nothing.” Ken Hinman, President, National Coalition for Marine Conservation. “We
need to start managing menhaden for their role in the overall
ecological system.” Bill Matuszeski, former
Director of the EPA's Chesapeake Bay program. |
CCA
Virginia News Item