Saving Seafood

Accountability Certified: Louisiana’s Most Scrutinized Fishery Just Got Recertified Sustainable. Here’s What the Science Actually Shows.

April 6, 2026 — The Gulf menhaden fishery has earned its first recertification from the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) – the world’s leading certification body for sustainable fisheries – reaffirming its environmental performance and science-based management following a rigorous, multi-year independent audit.

The MSC is the world’s leading certification body for sustainable fisheries, and the 2026 recertification provides third-party verification that the fishery continues to meet the highest standards for sustainability, ecosystem health, and effective management. MSC certifications are valid for five years, with annual surveillance audits to ensure ongoing compliance. A full recertification – including public comment and the opportunity for objections – is required every five years. The fishery was first certified in 2019.

The MSC process is exhaustive, examining every dimension of the fishery’s performance: stock health, bycatch rates, environmental impacts, and regulatory oversight. Fisheries must meet strict scoring thresholds across all categories, with any deficiencies requiring time-bound corrective action.

The Marine Stewardship Council is an independent, international nonprofit organization that sets the world’s leading standard for sustainable fishing. Its certification program is science-based, globally recognized, and relies on third-party auditors, transparent public input, and continuous monitoring to ensure fisheries meet the highest benchmarks for environmental performance and accountability.

The Gulf menhaden fishery successfully addressed all conditional scores from its first certification, demonstrating continuous, measurable improvement.

Read the full article at The Advocate

LOUISIANA: Rooted in Plaquemines Parish: A Life in Louisiana’s Menhaden Industry

March 9, 2026 — Along Louisiana’s coast, the menhaden industry has quietly powered local economies for generations – providing industrial jobs, rebuilding communities after disasters, and allowing families to stay rooted in rural coastal parishes. The small, silvery fish harvested in the Gulf are processed into high-protein fish meal and nutrient-rich oil used in aquaculture, pet food, agriculture, and other essential products. In Plaquemines Parish, that work supports families, schools, and small businesses.

For Travis Harvey, it has supported an entire life.

This will be my 29th fishing season,” Harvey says. “I started when I was 20 years old. This is all I’ve ever done, and all I ever wanted to do.”

Harvey is Plant Manager at Daybrook Fisheries in Empire, LA, the processing partner to Westbank Fishing. But his story is less about job titles and more about roots.

Growing Up Seven Miles Away

Harvey was born and raised in Home Place, just seven miles from the plant.

“I’ve never really left,” he says. “After Katrina we evacuated for a few months, but we came back and rebuilt. I’ve always wanted to stay right here.”

In a rural parish where many young people feel pressure to move away to find opportunity, Harvey considers that a gift.

Read the full article at the Advocate

LOUISIANA: Science, not assumption, in Louisiana menhaden debate

January 21, 2026 — Louisiana has long relied on science to guide its management of natural resources, including energy, agriculture, and fisheries. That approach is now under scrutiny as the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission reviews proposed changes to the state’s menhaden buffer zone regulations, according to an article by the Louisiana Commercial Fisheries Coalition, reported by NOLA.com.

For decades, Louisiana’s menhaden fishery operated under strict coastal limits and has been continuously monitored and independently assessed. Peer-reviewed stock assessments have consistently found that menhaden are not overfished and that overfishing is not occurring, the article reported.

That began to change in 2021, when the state imposed additional blanket buffer restrictions along the coast. Those measures were designed largely to reduce user conflict with the recreational fishing sector, even though Louisiana-specific data to justify the changes did not yet exist. The result was a one-size-fits-all regulatory approach applied to a highly diverse coastline.

Louisiana’s menhaden fleet consists of just 27 vessels, compared to more than 400,000 licensed saltwater anglers statewide. The expanded buffer zones closed traditional fishing grounds that later scientific analysis showed posed little environmental risk. The closures had real economic consequences for menhaden fishermen, processing plant workers, and the coastal communities that rely on year-round commercial fishing jobs.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

For Louisiana’s Menhaden Fishery, If Science Doesn’t Guide Regulations, What Does?

January 20, 2026 — Louisiana has long relied on science to guide how it manages its natural resources. From energy to agriculture to fisheries, legislators and regulators have invested in research, monitoring, and expert oversight to ensure decisions are grounded in evidence rather than assumption.

That commitment is now being tested as the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission reviews the state’s menhaden buffer zone.

How We Got Here

For decades, Louisiana’s menhaden fishery operated under strict coastal limits and remained sustainable. The fishery has been continuously monitored, independently assessed, and confirmed as healthy by peer-reviewed stock assessments. Menhaden are not overfished, and overfishing is not occurring.

But beginning in 2021, additional blanket buffer restrictions were imposed to reduce user conflict with the recreational fishing sector. Many of these measures were accepted in good faith, even though Louisiana-specific data did not yet exist to support them. The rules applied a one-size-fits-all approach to a coastline that is anything but uniform.

To put the issue in perspective, Louisiana has more than 400,000 licensed saltwater anglers and just 27 menhaden vessels. Yet broad restrictions closed traditional fishing grounds that science later showed posed little environmental risk. The result was real economic harm to Louisiana menhaden fishermen, processing plant workers, and coastal communities that depend on these year-round commercial fishing jobs.

Read the full article at the Advocate