Saving Seafood

Growing fishery? NOAA to work on winter survey of menhaden off N.J. coast

January 14, 2022 — The surprising news last weekend was not just the striped bass bite on the Ocean County beaches, but the numbers of menhaden off the coast here in January. NOAA has also taken notice of the baitfish and is collaborating on a survey of their winter population here.

The researchers that are working on it are from the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science’s (UMCES) Chesapeake Biological Laboratory and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, in collaboration with NOAA Fisheries. The winter population survey of menhaden will specifically look at the menhaden spending the season off the coast of New Jersey.

According to the Science Center for Marine Fisheries in Virginia which released a statement on the survey, the researchers believe New Jersey is home to a growing winter bait fishery but there have been few attempts to survey menhaden this far north and there is currently not a good count of how many menhaden are in the area. Data is also lacking on measurements like age and weight compositions.

Read the full story at the Asbury Park Press

New Acoustic Survey Will Investigate Previously Uncounted Menhaden

January 12, 2022 — The following was released by the Science Center for Marine Fisheries:

Despite being one of the largest and most high-profile fisheries on the East Coast, there are still gaps in our understanding of Atlantic menhaden. This is especially true in their northern range, in New England and the Mid-Atlantic. But this winter, a new project will look specifically to count menhaden in these areas, shedding new light on an important but underexamined portion of this species.

A team from the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science’s (UMCES) Chesapeake Biological Laboratory and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, in collaboration with NOAA Fisheries, is about to launch a winter population survey of menhaden, specifically of menhaden spending the season off the coast of New Jersey. The area is home to a growing winter bait fishery, but because there have been few attempts to survey menhaden this far north, there is currently not a good count of how many menhaden are in the area, as well a lack of good data on measurements like age and weight compositions.

The survey, which will launch from Cape May, New Jersey, will use sonar equipment to estimate the number of menhaden schooling in the area, and will collect additional information to estimate age, size, and weight, data that will be important for managing the fishery.

“Right now, having a full picture of menhaden is limited by the lack of available information on the northern part of the stock,” said Dr. Genny Nesslage, a professor at UMCES and one of the lead researchers on the project. “Surveying this part of the population will hopefully give regulators the data they need to make informed decisions on how to manage menhaden coastwide.”

Atlantic menhaden are a coastwide species, with a range spanning from Maine to Florida. But most of our knowledge of the stock comes from data collected from purse seine fisheries in the Mid-Atlantic and around the Chesapeake Bay. Because older, larger menhaden are more likely to be found in northern waters, an entire segment of the menhaden population is not fully counted by current data collection methods.

As it is increasingly clear that there are significant numbers in this northern portion of the menhaden stock, surveys like these will be important in providing a fuller picture of the population, benefitting both the regional bait fishery and other, existing menhaden fisheries.

“Getting a better count of menhaden in the north is critical in improving our understanding of the fishery coastwide, and validating the population estimates that come from our current assessment models,” said Dr. Nesslage. “The more diverse sources of data we have on menhaden, the more confident we can be in our decisions on how to manage it.”

The survey was funded by the NOAA Fisheries Saltonstall-Kennedy Competitive Grants Program and its design was funded by a grant from the Science Center for Marine Fisheries (SCEMFIS), which connects marine scientists with members of the fishing industry to fund needed research for finfish and shellfish.

Surge in baitfish catch is a boon to Maine’s lobstermen

November 26, 2021 — A surge in the catch of a small species of fish called menhaden off the Maine coast has helped stabilize a bait crunch that’s plagued the state’s lobster industry for several years.

Maine’s lobster fishermen typically bait their traps with dead herring, but a scientific assessment in 2020 found that herring are overfished, and quotas for the fish were reduced dramatically. The loss of herring has increased the price of bait and made it harder for many fishermen to trap lobsters.

However, losing herring has been offset somewhat by swelling catches of menhaden. Maine’s catch of menhaden — also called pogies or bunker — grew from about 6 million pounds in 2016 to more than 24 million pounds last year.

Read the full story at the AP

Gulf Menhaden Population Continues to be Sustainably Harvested, According to Recent Scientific Stock Assessment

November 12, 2021 — The Gulf menhaden population has once again been confirmed to be sustainably harvested, based on the results of a recently approved stock assessment conducted by NOAA Fisheries biologists and the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission (GSMFC). Managers at the GSMFC approved the final assessment at their annual meeting in late October.

The assessment, which is based on data from the Gulf menhaden fishery for 2018-2020, finds that Gulf menhaden are neither overfished, nor are they experiencing overfishing. This confirms the results of the last major Gulf menhaden assessment, released in 2019, which reached the same conclusions about the health of the species.

The assessment document went so far as to state that ‘In general, there is little risk of overfishing or of being overfished.’ This statement truly drives home the point that this is a very healthy stock and responsible fishery.

Read the full story at the Albuquerque Express

 

Gulf Menhaden Population Continues to be Sustainably Harvested, According to Recent Scientific Stock Assessment

November 10, 2021 — The following was released by the Menhaden Fisheries Coalition:

The Gulf menhaden population has once again been confirmed to be sustainably harvested, based on the results of a recently approved stock assessment conducted by NOAA Fisheries biologists and the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission (GSMFC). Managers at the GSMFC approved the final assessment at their annual meeting in late October.

The assessment, which is based on data from the Gulf menhaden fishery for 2018-2020, finds that Gulf menhaden are neither overfished, nor are they experiencing overfishing. This confirms the results of the last major Gulf menhaden assessment, released in 2019, which reached the same conclusions about the health of the species.

The assessment document went so far as to state that “In general, there is little risk of overfishing or of being overfished.” This statement truly drives home the point that this is a very healthy stock and responsible fishery.

“This latest assessment continues a long trend of positive information coming out about this fishery, which has long been healthy and sustainable,” said Ben Landry, Director of Public Affairs for Ocean Harvesters, which operates a fleet of menhaden fishing vessels.

“This positive assessment validates that the current Gulf menhaden fishing effort is at a level which is both responsible and sustainable,” said Francois Kuttel of Westbank Fishing.

In addition to its conclusions about the overall state of the Gulf menhaden stock, the assessment also finds several other positive indicators for the species. It found that menhaden abundance was particularly strong in 2018, and that fishing mortality is stable and well below historic highs. These indicators support the overall conclusion that overfishing is not an issue with Gulf menhaden.

Gulf menhaden has been internationally recognized as a sustainable fishery. Since 2019, the fishery has been certified as sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), the most prominent international seafood certification program. Much like this assessment, the MSC certification cited the long-term health of the menhaden population, as well as noting the limited environmental impact of the fishery.

On the water, a different view of menhaden fishing

October 26, 2021 — In his recent op-ed (“Fish spills renew concerns about menhaden management,” Oct. 2), the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Chris Moore gives readers a picture of a menhaden fishery that I and my crew do not recognize.

I’ve fished menhaden here in Virginia for most of my life. The view of the fishery expressed by Moore and the CBF of a distant Canadian conglomerate that doesn’t care about the health of the bay or the future of this fishery, could not be further from the truth. It is ignorant and insulting to hundreds of hard-working, blue-collar menhaden fishermen.

Much has been made, both in Moore’s op-ed and elsewhere, of the fact that Omega Protein, Virginia’s oldest and largest fishing company, now has a Canadian parent company. But menhaden fishing has been a Virginia institution since 1878, and there has been a menhaden fishery operating out of Virginia’s Northern Neck continuously since then. I’m a local, my crew are all locals, and many of them come from African American families who have fished menhaden for generations. The majority of these families have been fishing in Virginia long before CBF has even existed.

A corporate address in Canada does not erase the deep Virginia roots of this fishery and the fishermen who are part of it.

Read the full opinion piece at the Virginian-Pilot

 

Update of the Gulf of Mexico Gulf Menhaden Stock Assessment (GDAR03)

October 22, 2021 — The following was released by the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida – The Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission (GSMFC) has completed an update of the stock assessment of the Gulf Menhaden population in the northern Gulf of Mexico. The regional assessment has been completed through the GSMFC’s Gulf Data, Assessment, and Review (GDAR) Program as GDAR03. Each of the five state marine resource agencies provided the necessary data and expertise to develop abundance indices for use in the stock assessment model. This assessment provides an update to the 2018 Gulf Menhaden (Brevoortia patronus) benchmark for the Gulf of Mexico (SEDAR63). The assessment was updated with recent data from 2018-2020. The final stock assessment report is available on the GSMFC’s website at:

2021 Gulf Menhaden Stock Assessment (GDAR03)

The stock status for the updated assessment remained the same as the stock status from the benchmark assessment (SEDAR63). The assessment indicates that fishing mortality rates decreased during the 1990s and have remained at a low level through today. Additionally, spawning stock biomass (measured as fecundity) has increased steadily since the 1990s and remains at a high level. In summary, the update concludes that the Gulf of Mexico Gulf Menhaden stock is not experiencing overfishing and is not overfished.

NEW YORK: Photos and Video: Shark and Bunker Frenzy off Fire Island

August 19, 2021 — If you have been to the beach this summer, odds are you have seen some big schools of bunker (Menhaden) just offshore.  While it is not uncommon, this year they seem to be thicker than normal and attract a variety of fish and marine mammals close to shore to feed.  A few weeks ago, I was at Davis Park and filmed a few sharks and Cow Nose Rays just off the beach.  I have also seen reports of Striped Bass, Tuna, and Humpback Whales as well.

Last Sunday morning,  I was watching the Fireislandandbeyond.com Beach and Surf Cams that stream from the top of the Davis Park Casino Bar and Cafe and noticed some big bunker schools close to the beach with occasional big splashes and knew I had to get over there and see what was on them.  I got to the beach around Noon but unfortunately, they had moved off the beach and were split into much smaller pods.  I tried to take a look with my drone but the mid-day light made it very difficult to see through all the glare.

At this time I figured I missed the opportunity and put the drone away and went for a swim.  Around 2:00 p.m. I started noticing the bait move in and create a massive, dark cloud of bunker approach and cover almost the entire beach.  As I got my drone ready, the lifeguards were alerted to sharks and quickly cleared the beach of swimmers.  In the photos and video above, you can see almost the entire crowded beach standing on the shore to see the bunker and occasional splash of the feeding sharks.

Read the full story at Fire Island and Beyond

VIRGINIA: DAUGHTER OF REEDVILLE FISHERMAN’S MUSEUM FOUNDER NAMED PRESIDENT

August 16, 2021 — A good recipe for success in any venture is passion, love of a cause and the energy to make it happen—and leading a maritime museum is no different.

Becky Haynie of Reedville, Va. checks all three boxes for the Reedville Fishermen’s Museum where she was recently elected president of the board of directors.

Becky’s passion and love of the job comes from her late father Wendell Haynie who passed away Dec. 20, 2020. Wendall, his brother Braxton and Alice Butler spearheaded the formation of the Greater Reedville Association in 1988, which led to the creation of the museum.

Reedville has a rich Tidewater Virginia commercial fishing heritage. The founder of the town, Elijah Warren Reed of Brooklin, Maine, arrived on Chesapeake Bay in a three mast schooner during the summer of 1867 and established what was to become the modern-day menhaden fishery. By 1912, the town’s economy had become the highest per capita wealth of any town in the United States.

Going back to her early childhood, Becky witnessed the passion and love that her father had for Reedville and its maritime culture. “When I was a kid there were all these derelict fish boats on the shoreline and one was the [fish steamer] East Hampton,” said Becky. “I had a 12-foot skiff with a 4-hp motor and I lived on the creek. It was the spookiest thing to me with that old boat laid up on its side and open inside, and we climbed all over it.

“We are considering doing a working watermen’s tour, similar to a our Christmas House Tour, where we will take people to Walter Roger’s fish trap pier to see the fish and pound net boats,” she said. “Next, we could go to Fleeton Point Seafood where they shed crabs and grow oysters and the big ticket would be a visit to the Omega Protein plant, the largest menhaden plant on the East Coast.”

Read the full story at Chesapeake Bay Magazine

ASMFC Atlantic Menhaden Board Initiates Addendum on Fishery Measures

August 6, 2021 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Atlantic Menhaden Management Board initiated an addendum to Amendment 3 to consider changes to commercial allocations, the episodic event set aside (EESA) program, and the incidental catch and small-scale fisheries provision. This action responds to the recommendations of a Board work group charged with evaluating provisions of the current management program and providing strategies to refine those provisions.

Amendment 3 (2017) established commercial fishery allocations, allocating a baseline quota of 0.5% to each jurisdiction with the rest of the total allowable catch (TAC) allocated based on historic landings between 2009 and 2011. The work group report outlined landings have shifted in recent years, with some states landing significantly more quota (through transfers and other FMP provisions) than they are allocated due to changes in abundance of menhaden and availability of other bait fish. The Board action aims to align state quotas with recent landings and availability while maintaining access to the resource for all states, reduce dependence on quota transfers, and minimize regulatory discards.

The addendum will also propose changes to the EESA and incidental catch and small-scale fisheries provisions. Both provisions have been impacted by recent trends in landings, most notably in New England where states rely on the EESA to keep their commercial fishery open while working to secure quota transfers. The increasing abundance of menhaden in New England has also led to a rise of landings under the incidental catch and small-scale fisheries provision once commercial quotas have been met. The Board is interested in exploring options to promote accountability such as capping the total amount of landings under this category or to count these landings against the TAC. Management alternatives for the incidental catch and small-scale fisheries will also consider changes to the current eligibility of gear types under the provision. In addition to these topics, the Board indicated the management document should maintain flexibility to respond to management needs in the future.

The Board will consider the Draft Addendum at the Annual Meeting in October and provide feedback, if needed, to further develop the document. For more information, please contact Kirby Rootes-Murdy, Senior Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at krootes-murdy@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.