March 6, 2013 — Menhaden, alewife, mossbunker, fatbacks, bunker or pogy—no matter what it’s called—the fish is making news up and down the East Coast as the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) mandated harvest reductions have fishermen scrambling to determine the impact.
On December 14, 2012, the menhaden management board of the ASMFC voted 13-3 to institute a 20% reduction in overall landings for the commercial catch of Atlantic menhaden. Virginia, Florida and New Jersey representatives voted against the reduction. More menhaden are caught by Virginia fishermen than any other state along the east coast and Virginia was allocated 85.3% of the total harvest.
Virginia’s representative on the ASMFC menhaden board, Jack Travelstead, lobbied to hold the reduction to 10%. When this was obviously not going to fly, Travelstead tried 15% and then 17% before the rest of the committee settled on 20%, with the cut being based on the 2009-2011 harvests.
The General Assembly, which manages the Commonwealth’s menhaden fishery, passed related bills and Gov. Bob McDonnell has signed the legislation into law.
Omega Protein’s Reedville plant is one of the largest menhaden facilities in the country and uses the fish to produce high protein fish meal as a supplement for animal feeds and aquaculture, and refines high nutritional omega-3 fatty acids for human consumption. It’s referred to as the “reduction” fishing industry.
Read the full story at the Southside Sentinel