May 28, 2021 — Menhaden Fisheries Coalition (MFC) members located in the Gulf of Mexico are pushing back against a proposed Louisiana state bill that would ban menhaden vessels from fishing within half a mile of the entire Louisiana coast, 1 mile off of specific areas, and 3 miles off of Grand Isle.
The MFC argues that the legislation, H.B. 535, “presents a threat to coastal Louisiana jobs, yet has no observed scientific or environmental justification.”
February 3, 2021 — On Monday several organizations who are part of the Menhaden Fisheries Coalition submitted a letter to Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) Menhaden Board Chair A.G. “Spud” Woodward. The letter called for the Commission to consider, as part of its decision-making, the “importance of historic landings records and the impacts to the fishing industry of the recently implemented ecosystem-based management.”
The Menhaden Fisheries Coalition is asking that the review process be guided by three principles:
1.The Management Board should ensure that the full amount of sustainable yield set for this year and next is able to be harvested.
2. Understanding that the total allowable catch for 2021 and 2022 is lower than total landings for 2019 (and, likely 2020), any reallocation scheme should recnogie states that have already contributed to menhaden conservation since the TAC was first established in 2012.
3. The conservation burden of the TAC reduction must be fairly and equitably distributed among states.
February 1, 2021 — The following was released by the Menhaden Fisheries Coalition:
As the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) undertakes a performance review of the Atlantic menhaden fishery, members of the Menhaden Fisheries Coalition (MFC) are urging the Commission to consider, as part of its decision-making, the importance of historic landings records and the impacts to the fishing industry of the recently implemented ecosystem-based management.
The call came in a letter to ASMFC Menhaden Board Chair A.G. “Spud” Woodward, signed by several organizations in the menhaden bait and marine ingredient industries, representing several states including New Jersey, Virginia and Maryland. The signatories of the letter include New Jersey’s Lund’s Fisheries, Virginia’s Omega Protein, Reedville Bait, and Kellum Maritime, and Delmarva Fisheries Association based in Maryland.
While it is currently unclear whether the ASMFC will initiate an action to revisit current menhaden quota allocations, the letter asks the Commission to recognize in any possible decision factors such as changing patterns in landings, strong demand for menhaden products, and the need to ensure that the fishing industry has a fair opportunity to harvest their quota.
Specifically, the letter highlights the disparity between how the quota is currently distributed among states and where the harvest is occurring, impeding efforts to fully harvest the quota. The letter asks that if the Commission pursues quota reallocation, that it recognizes the few states that have already sacrificed some of their historical quota share, and that it ensures that the burden of any new cuts is fairly distributed throughout the stock’s range. Traditionally, both current use and a state’s fishing history are key determinants in resource allocations made by the Commission.
“Since the menhaden quota was established in 2012, cuts have come almost entirely at the expense of New Jersey and Virginia fishermen,” said Wayne Reichle, President of Lund’s Fisheries. “Now that the Commission has decided to reduce the quota for ecological reasons, the conservation burden needs to be fairly shared throughout the fishery, not by taking allocation from the two states with the largest historical fisheries.”
The menhaden fishery has changed significantly since the ASMFC passed Amendment 3 to its menhaden Fishery Management Plan in 2017. The Commission has adopted Ecological Reference Points (ERPs) to better account for the role that menhaden play in the ecosystem and has instituted a 10 percent cut in the coastwide quota. Also, a significant new bait fishery has developed in Gulf of Maine states, which join Virginia and New Jersey as a top harvesting region.
According to the letter, these changes have resulted in “a significant mismatch between the total menhaden catch allocation (TAC) and its actual use.” For this reason, the Coalition urges the Commission to focus any possible reallocation decisions to ensure the fishery can reach its optimum yield. It argues that “provid[ing] a reasonable opportunity for the bait and marine ingredients fisheries to fully harvest the amount of menhaden [the Commission] has determined to be sustainable” is particularly important as fishing communities have suffered economic harm by pandemic-related reductions in demand for other seafood products.
The ASMFC’s Menhaden Board takes up its review of this fishery tomorrow afternoon.
August 3, 2020 — The following was released by the Menhaden Fisheries Coalition:
As the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) considers whether to adopt Ecological Reference Points for Atlantic menhaden at its Summer Meeting this week, a new scientific analysis confirms that current management is working, and that the fishery has a minuscule impact on the overall menhaden population.
The review, conducted by prominent fisheries scientist Dr. Steve Cadrin of the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth at the request of the Science Center for Marine Fisheries (SCEMFIS), found that 99.5 percent of menhaden born each year are left in the water, where they serve as forage for other species and fulfill other ecological roles. Just 0.5 percent of menhaden are harvested by either the reduction or bait fishery.
Especially notable in the review’s findings was the fact that the menhaden fishery harvests very few menhaden under the age of 2, which are the ages at which menhaden are most likely to be consumed by predators. The fishery also rarely harvests older fish that are important for menhaden spawning.
Analyzing a decade’s worth of the most recent data, from 2008-2017, the review indicated that current menhaden harvest levels are extremely precautionary, and that current management is already doing a good job of protecting the ecosystem.
“This review confirms that menhaden management is working for the fishery, the resource, and the environment,” said Wayne Reichle, President of Lund’s Fisheries, a Menhaden Fisheries Coalition member based in Cape May, New Jersey. “The Commission should consider these results while they debate Ecological Reference Points, and before they consider any adjustments to the current menhaden harvest levels.”
In addition to demonstrating the minimal impact of the fishery on the larger menhaden population, the report also noted that the overall biomass for menhaden is “almost the highest on record,” while similarly noting that fishing mortality is “much less than historical levels, much less than the management reference points, and much less than the rate of natural mortality,” part of a trend towards lower mortality and higher biomass that began in the 1990s.
The healthy indicators for the menhaden fishery are in stark contrast to other species, specifically striped bass, which are considered to be overfished. Based on the available evidence from the most recent menhaden assessment, it is unlikely that current issues facing striped bass are a result of insufficient menhaden, given the near-historically high levels of menhaden abundance and low levels of fishing mortality.
The menhaden fishery is also certified sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council, the preeminent fisheries sustainability certification body.
Dr. Cadrin’s review is part of an overwhelming body of evidence that the menhaden fishery is sustainable and current menhaden management is successful. The Commission should not forget this success as it considers the fishery’s future.
August 5, 2019 — The following was released by the Menhaden Fisheries Coalition:
It is the long-standing view of the members of the Menhaden Fisheries Coalition (MFC) that the quota for Atlantic menhaden should have been raised substantially in 2017 due to the documented strength of the stock in the last assessment. However, contrary to the claims of some activists from special interest groups, MFC members will not be pursuing a quota increase at this week’s meeting of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) out of respect for the Commission’s ongoing work on ecological reference points (ERPs).
“Our long-standing commitment to the sustainability of Atlantic menhaden has repeatedly been confirmed by the best available science,” said Jeff Kaelin, government relations coordinator at Lund’s Fisheries, an MFC member based in New Jersey. “While that science supports a substantial increase in the quota right now, we look forward to the Commission’s conclusions on ERPs, which will help guide management moving forward.”
The findings of the ASMFC’s 2017 update stock assessment and the 2014 benchmark stock assessment clearly indicate that Atlantic menhaden is thriving up and down the Atlantic Coast. The 2017 assessment again indicated that the menhaden population is not overfished nor is overfishing occurring. Additionally, the assessment showed mortality rates have remained below the overfishing threshold since the 1960s, and fishing mortality has been decreasing throughout the history of the fishery.
An analysis conducted by ASMFC scientists in 2016 showed that the menhaden quota could be increased by up to 40 percent with a 0 percent chance of leading to overfishing. Another analysis by the MFC using data from the ASMFC’s 2017 stock assessment found that the fishery already leaves 92 percent of fish in the water to serve their ecological role.
“There are numerous positive signs for the health of the menhaden fishery,” said Ben Landry, director of public affairs at Omega Protein, an MFC member based in Virginia. “That’s why Omega Protein is pursuing certification of the fishery’s sustainability by the highly respected Marine Stewardship Council, a process that is nearing its conclusion.”
Even though all current signs indicate a menhaden quota increase is warranted, industry stakeholders are supportive of efforts to better understand the role Atlantic menhaden play in the ecosystem. Therefore, while the ASMFC Biological and Ecological Reference Points (BERP) workgroup continues its work developing ERPs for the menhaden fishery, the MFC will not request a quota increase at this week’s meeting.
Multiple ASMFC Commissioners have stated that increasing the quota in past years was premature and that we should wait until the ERPs are conducted. MFC members believe the same should be true for any potential reallocation of the current quota at this week’s meeting.
October 29, 2018 — SEAFOOD NEWS — The Menhaden Fisheries Coalition (MFC) is maintaining that their members’ fishing operations are sustainable and in compliance with menhaden regulations. The statement from MFC comes ahead of the annual Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC).
“The recent misleading attacks on menhaden fishermen have claimed that the fishery threatens the food supply of marine mammals and other predator species, despite there being no evidence to support this allegation,” the MFC states. “Instead, the best available science points to a thriving menhaden population that is successfully meeting its ecological roles.”
According to MFC, the ASMFC has delivered “good news” for the Atlantic menhaden stock over the past three years. An analysis conducted by MFC also found that 92% of Atlantic menhaden are left in the water “to serve as food for predators and to meet other environmental functions.”
This story originally appeared on Seafoodnews.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission.
October 25, 2018 — The following was released by the Menhaden Fisheries Coalition:
The past few months have seen an unnecessary controversy over legal and routine menhaden fishing in the federal waters off the coasts of New York and New Jersey. With the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) having met this week for its annual meeting, the Menhaden Fisheries Coalition (MFC) would, once again, like to unequivocally state that our members’ fishing operations in both the reduction and the bait fisheries are sustainable, and in compliance with all menhaden regulations.
The recent misleading attacks on menhaden fishermen have claimed that the fishery threatens the food supply of marine mammals and other predator species, despite there being no evidence to support this allegation. Instead, the best available science points to a thriving menhaden population that is successfully meeting its ecological roles.
Over the last three years, the ASMFC, which manages Atlantic menhaden, has repeatedly delivered good news for the stock, confirming in a stock assessment last year that the species is neither overfished nor experiencing overfishing. As a direct result of this news, the Commission voted to once again raise the quota, which they determined could be implemented withno risk of overfishing the resource.
Looking at the Commission’s stock assessment data, there is no evidence suggesting that menhaden fisheries are negatively impacting predator species. A MFC analysis of that data published last year found that 92 percent of Atlantic menhaden are left in the water to serve as food for predators and to meet other environmental functions.
As part of the coastwide menhaden fishery, New York’s and New Jersey’s menhaden quotas are conservatively set by the ASMFC to ensure sustainability. Most of the recent criticism of the fishery has focused on two individual days of fishing: one in late August and another in early September. Since then, activist groups have continued to push a misleading narrative to the public, ignoring the ample evidence that points to there being more than enough menhaden to support whales, fish, fishermen and fishing communities.
Members of the MFC who support a healthy menhaden fishery off New York and New Jersey include Lund’s Fisheries in Cape May, New Jersey; the Garden State Seafood Association in Trenton, New Jersey; the Long Island Commercial Fishing Association in Montauk, New York; and Omega Protein in Reedville, Virginia.
About the MFC
The Menhaden Fisheries Coalition (MFC) is a collective of menhaden fishermen, related businesses, and supporting industries. Comprised of businesses along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, the Menhaden Fisheries Coalition conducts media and public outreach on behalf of the menhaden industry to ensure that members of the public, media, and government are informed of important issues, events, and facts about the fishery.
November 20, 2017 — East Coast fishery managers plan to increase the coastwide menhaden catch by 8 percent next year, while slashing the amount that can be harvested from the Chesapeake Bay.
But despite heavy pressure from environmental groups, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission balked at a proposal that would have required fishery managers to take into account the ecological role of the small, oily fish when setting future harvest levels.
By the end of their two-day meeting in mid-November, commissioners had succeeded in disappointing and pleasing environmentalists and industry officials alike — typically not at the same time — while setting up another big debate two years from now over how to account for the role menhaden play as a food source for other species.
In a statement after the meeting, Robert Ballou, of the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management and chair of the ASMFC Menhaden Board, acknowledged that many people were left disappointed by the decisions that will guide harvests for the next two years. But he said the commission’s actions demonstrated a “commitment to manage the menhaden resource in a way that balances menhaden’s ecological role with the needs of its stakeholders.”
It was the latest round in a decades-long struggle over how to manage the catch of Atlantic menhaden, a fish almost never eaten by humans that is an important food for a host of marine species. By weight, menhaden make up the largest catch in both the Chesapeake and along the East Coast, but by nearly all accounts their abundance is increasing, especially in New England. In fact, the ASMFC’s science advisers indicated that the current coastal catch limit of 200,000 metric tons could be increased by more than 50 percent with little chance of overfishing the species.
But conservation groups have long argued that such assessments do not fully account for the importance of menhaden as a food source for marine mammals, many birds, and a host of other fish, such as striped bass.
It is part of a larger, long-running debate between conservation groups and the fishing industry over how to treat forage fish, which include menhaden, anchovies and other small species that provide a critical link in the aquatic food chain by converting plankton into nourishment for larger predators.
Historically, conservationists contend that forage species have received less attention — and protection from overfishing — than the larger predators, such as striped bass. Prior to the meeting near Baltimore, conservationists had gathered a record-setting 157,599 comments urging the ASMFC to adopt new harvest guidelines, or reference points, that would take the ecological role of the fish into account when setting catch limits. If adopted, the guidelines would almost certainly have required a reduction in the current coastwide menhaden catch.
But critics — which included ASMFC’s own scientific advisers, as well as the commercial menhaden industry — said the reference points under consideration were based on studies of other species in other places and may not be applicable to menhaden.
Ultimately, the commission — a panel of state fishery managers that regulates catches of migratory fish along the coast — voted 13–5 to delay the adoption of ecological reference points until a panel of scientists it has assembled can make its own ecological recommendations, tailored specifically to menhaden. Those recommendations are not expected to be ready until 2019.
Dozens of activists attended the meeting, many holding bright yellow signs that said, “Little Fish Big Deal,” “Keep it Forage” or “Conserve Menhaden.” Many were surprised not only to be defeated after the huge volume of comments — more than 99 percent in favor of ecological reference points — but also by the lopsided vote.
Read the full story at the Bay Journal
November 17, 2017 — A day after the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission voted to raise the catch limit on Atlantic menhaden by eight percent, a trade group claimed on Wednesday that the commission let political pressure affect not only that raise but how quotas were allocated across member states.
The commission’s Atlantic Menhaden Management Board approved an amendment to raise the total catch limit to 216,000 metric tons. However, in doing so, it gave each member state a minimum share of 0.5 percent. While those shares seem small for states that do not have an active menhaden fishery, the Menhaden Fisheries Coalition said it will have a significant impact on the two largest fisheries, Virginia and New Jersey.
Virginia received an allocation of 78.66 percent, while New Jersey got 10.87 percent. No other state received more than 1.27 percent of the allocation.
“The creation of a system allowing non-fishing states to ‘horse-trade’ allocation, the ‘taking’ of quota from some to give to others, and the arbitrary moving of quota from the marine ingredients fishery to the bait fishery constitute inappropriate intrusions into the market economy, our members say,” the coalition said in a press release issued late Wednesday afternoon.
Read the full story at SeafoodSource
WASHINGTON — November 15, 2017 — The following was released by the Menhaden Fisheries Coalition:
The Menhaden Fisheries Coalition (MFC) reiterates its thanks to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) for allowing science to prevail in setting reference points for Atlantic menhaden, and rejecting the Lenfest Forage Fish Task Force “rule-of-thumb” approach in favor of the development of species-specific ecological reference points. The MFC believes it is unfortunate, however, that on the second day of the meeting, politics prevailed.
Our members argue that the ASMFC did not follow the best available science in setting the overall menhaden quota level. Although the best available science would have allowed an increase from 200,000 metric tons to 314,000 MT with only a minimal risk of overfishing, we believe the Commission succumbed to political pressure in raising the quota just 8 percent, to 216,000 MT. This led to the adoption of a complex reallocation scheme that we think unnecessarily pits state-against-state.
The commission gave each state other than New Jersey and Virginia – even those with no historic menhaden fishery — an additional 0.5 percent of the overall quota, taking that percentage from Virginia and New Jersey’s historic share. In addition, the scheme allows states to swap quota amongst each other using quota as a currency of trade.
Rather than adopt a reasonable and scientifically-justifiable quota level that addressed the needs of ALL states, our members maintain that the lower increase and allocation scheme creates a situation in which:
The creation of a system allowing non-fishing states to “horse-trade” allocation, the “taking” of quota from some to give to others, and the arbitrary moving of quota from the marine ingredients fishery to the bait fishery constitute inappropriate intrusions into the market economy, our members say.
The MFC believes a reasonable increase to just 240,000 MT would have allowed Virginia and New Jersey to receive their fair, historic, catch-based share of the resource, and also have allowed states such as Maine, Rhode Island, and New York, which have historic fisheries and sought a quota increase, to receive it via non-precedent breaking mechanisms. (Our member companies in Massachusetts also seek additional quota, although Massachusetts’s delegation did not represent their position at the meeting.)