Menhaden Population at Historic LowFate Rests with ASMFC, General AssemblyOne fact regarding Atlantic menhaden is not in dispute: the coastal population has declined 88% since 1984, and now stands at a historic low point. The latest Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s assessment confirms that.
The dispute is over what impact this precipitous decline of a key forage fish is having on the marine food chain, and what should be done about it. Menhaden are a critical part of the diet of saltwater fish like striped bass, weakfish, and bluefish. Seabirds and marine mammals also depend on nutrient-rich menhaden. Commercial fishermen (reduction industry and bait netters) harvest menhaden in large numbers for processing into oils, feed, and other product additives, and of course for use as bait. Last year the reduction industry and bait netters harvested approximately 180,000 metric tons (mt) of menhaden, with approximately 100,000mt coming from the Chesapeake Bay. While the ASMFC maintains overall jurisdiction over the coastal menhaden stock, management of menhaden in Virginia waters rests with the Virginia General Assembly. This odd, single species jurisdiction arrangement for menhaden continues despite the fact that all other state saltwater finfish and shellfish are under the management of the Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC). With the coastal population having plummeted, there is grave concern for the Bay population, since the commercial harvest is concentrated in the Virginia portion of the Bay (Maryland prohibits menhaden harvest by the reduction industry). A Bay harvest cap on the reduction industry of 109,020 metric tons has been in place since 2005. It was recently extended for three more years. The promised research to determine the condition of the menhaden stock in the Bay has not materialized. Also the reduction industry landings for the last four years have been well below the cap, leading many to believe that the Bay population is probably worse off than the coastal stock. This is borne out by extensive anecdotal evidence of far fewer menhaden schools observed in the Bay. Past efforts to transfer menhaden jurisdiction from the General Assembly to the full time professional fisheries staff at VMRC have been unsuccessful. There is hope that legislators, faced with a menhaden depletion of historic proportions, will soon agree to transfer management jurisdiction to the agency which was established to discharge that responsibility. As of this stage of the menhaden regulatory process, there is not much happening that is visible. In May, the ASMFC agreed to consider new population targets and fishing limits that will achieve a higher abundance of menhaden while accounting for its role as food for predators. Then in August, the commission initiated changes to its coast-wide management plan that, if adopted, could rebuild the depleted population. The ASMFC’s Menhaden Technical Committee (MTC) and the Multi Species Technical Committee (MSTC) met in September to wrestle with the issue of abundance. The motion to which these committees were responding asks for more recognition of predator needs in the management of menhaden. Also in that motion by the Menhaden Management Board was a request to determine appropriate reference points for fecundity. This is a ratio comparing the spawning potential of the existing stock to a virgin (un-fished) stock. Recent reports from the Marine Stewardship Council suggest that the appropriate reference point for forage fish should be at least 75% of maximum spawning potential. As of the last stock assessment, the MSP of Atlantic menhaden was at less than 10%, and the breeding stock exploitation (mortality) rate was approximately 70%. The question of what is an appropriate MSP (25%?, 40%?) for menhaden was the focus of the November 8 Menhaden Management Board meeting in Charleston, SC. Unfortunately, concerns over some discrepancies in recent assessment data have delayed the introduction of a new addendum to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan. The next meeting of the ASMFC Management Board is March 2011. Unless some new data causes additional delay, it is expected that new reference points (which will reduce harvest) will be approved for public comment. Following public comment, a meeting in August would consider the new criteria. Whatever restrictions are put in place, they will likely have no effect on the 2011 fishing season, but would be in effect for the 2012 season. For more information on menhaden, go to http://www.chesbay.org or http://www.savethefish.org/position_statements.htm#menhaden. |
