Atlantic Menhaden

Brevoortia tyrannus

The Atlantic menhaden is a toothless herring with a blue, blue-green or blue-brown body. The sides, fins and belly are silvery, often with a yellowish sheen. Adults have:

• A dark, round shoulder spot followed by a number of smaller spots arranged in somewhat horizontal rows.
• A deeply forked tail fin.
• A projecting lower jaw.
• Usually grow to about 14 to 18 inches.

Where do Atlantic menhaden live?

Large schools of Atlantic menhaden can be found throughout the Bay from spring through autumn. They leave for deeper, warmer ocean waters in the winter, though juveniles sometimes overwinter. The Bay is an important nursery area for juvenile menhaden because of its rich supply of plankton.

What do Atlantic menhaden eat?

Atlantic menhaden are filter feeders. They swim rapidly with their mouths open, straining water through their gills and filtering out plankton. In turn, menhaden are the "breadbasket" of the Bay, a favorite prey of many predatory fish and other species, including:

• Bluefish
• Weakfish
• Striped bass
• Mackerels
• Fish-eating seabirds and marine mammals

How do Atlantic menhaden reproduce?

In the Mid-Atlantic, menhaden spawn in shelf waters in the spring and fall.

• Eggs hatch at sea, where the larvae spend about two months before being carried by currents to the Bay and other estuaries.
• Larvae move into brackish waters and metamorphose into juveniles, growing rapidly throughout the summer and leaving the Bay in late fall for southern ocean waters.

Other facts about Atlantic menhaden:

• Atlantic menhaden are so oily that they are almost totally inedible by humans.
• Can live up to 10 to 12 years.
• The Indians likely used Atlantic menhaden to fertilize their corn fields. They called it "munnawhatteaug," which means, "that which manures."
• A large crustacean parasite is often found in the Atlantic menhaden's mouth, which is why this fish is also called the "bugfish" or "bugmouth."
• While some use them as bait, most Atlantic menhaden caught are processed for fish oil and livestock feed.