July 5, 2016 — BOONE, NC — Dr. John Whitehead, professor and chair of Appalachian State University’s Department of Economics, has been awarded $95,303 by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) to conduct a socioeconomic study of Atlantic menhaden commercial fisheries.
Whitehead will co-lead the project with Dr. Jane Harrison from North Carolina Sea Grant. The project is based on case studies within the industry intended to characterize the Atlantic menhaden commercial fisheries, including bait and reduction sectors and the fishing communities they support.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Atlantic menhaden constitute the largest landings by volume along the Atlantic Coast – that is, the amount of fish harvested from the sea and brought to the land. Menhaden rank second in the United States for landings behind only pollock on the west coast of Alaska.
“Menhaden stock is healthier than ever,” Whitehead said, “and the ASMFC is wrestling with how to allocate quotas across the Atlantic U.S.”