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Atlantic Menhaden Harvest

Vessels harvesting Atlantic menhaden
Menhaden are caught using purse seines on vessels such as this one.

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Atlantic menhaden is an important fish species because it forms a critical link between the upper and lower levels of the Bay food web. While menhaden populations along the Atlantic coast appear to be healthy, there is concern about low regional abundance (also referred to as “localized depletion”), specifically in Chesapeake Bay.

How is Atlantic menhaden harvested in the Bay?

Atlantic menhaden are typically caught using purse seines, then processed into oil or fish meal (called reduction). The Bay's major fishery and reduction industry for menhaden is located in the Virginia portion of the Chesapeake. Menhaden are also caught with pound nets in a bait fishery in the Potomac River and the Maryland portion of the Bay.

More pounds of menhaden are landed each year than any other fish in the Bay. Menhaden—along with blue crabs—have dominated the Bay's commercial fisheries during the past 60 years. In 2006, 376 million pounds of menhaden were caught in Maryland and Virginia waters (both Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean), valued at approximately $22.8 million.

Is the Bay's Atlantic menhaden population declining?

Chesapeake-specific population estimates for menhaden are not currently produced; estimates are only made for the entire Atlantic coast stock, which appears to be healthy. Still, scientists are concerned about what appears to be a low abundance of menhaden in the Bay, which is one of the fish's key nursery areas.

Fisheries-independent data from seine surveys in Maryland and Virginia through 2004 suggested that menhaden recruitment—the number of juveniles that grow to a “catchable” size—was possibly declining in the Bay. Coast-wide recruitment is considered to be at median historic levels.

The exact causes of the decline in recruitment remain unknown. While additional scientific knowledge is necessary to understand the variability of menhaden recruitment, scientists have cited several possible contributing factors, including:

  • Heavy fishing on the adult menhaden stock.
  • Possible increases in mortality by predators.
  • Changing environmental conditions, such as climate change or poor water quality, in menhaden nursery areas.

How would a decline in Atlantic menhaden affect the Bay?

The historical ecological functions of Atlantic menhaden may be diminished if populations decline in the Bay. Low menhaden abundance may create a reduced food supply for striped bass, bluefish, weakfish and other commercially and recreationally valuable predator species. Recent studies suggest that the Bay's striped bass are suffering from poor nutrition, which may be leading to slower growth rates and higher susceptibility to mycobacteriosis.

Other Sites of Interest:
  • Menhaden Research at VIMS: Research and data on menhaden in the Bay from the Virginia Institute of Marine Science.
  • Menhaden Fishing: The Mariners' Museum explains how menhaden were historically harvested in the Bay.
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Last modified: 02/24/2011
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