05-19-2005, 03:41 PM
ALEXANDRIA, VA-A multi-state regulatory body has moved to limit the commercial harvest of Atlantic menhaden, an important forage fish for striped bass in Chesapeake Bay.
Maryland and other East Coast states have encouraged the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, (ASMFC), the multi-state regulatory body charged with managing the fishery, to cap the menhaden harvest by purse seine while further study can be done to assess its impact on the striped bass population and overall health of the bay. The proposal is favored by recreational fishing and conservation groups, and would limit the harvest to 110,400 metric tons annually.
However, Texas-based Omega Protein, which takes 90 percent of the East Coast menhaden catch, is circulating a proposal that would increase the harvest by 30 percent. The company's proposal would also increase the harvest by 23 percent over the average catch from the previous five years.
Some call menhaden the "most important fish in the sea," as they are prime food sources for striped bass and other popular sportfish. They are also one of the main filter feeders for Chesapeake Bay, second only to oysters. Recent studies by "Menhaden Matter," which includes the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Coastal Conservation Association, Environmental Defense and the National Coalition for Marine Conservation, have shown that the overall numbers of menhaden are at historic lows, and predators that depend on them as a food source, such as stripers, are suffering from malnutrition.
The public will soon be asked to comment and attend hearings in Maryland, Virginia and other East Coast states. Officials say a final decision on the harvest limit could come as early as August.
[url "http://www.menhadenmatter.org/"]http://www.menhadenmatter.org/[/url]
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Maryland and other East Coast states have encouraged the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, (ASMFC), the multi-state regulatory body charged with managing the fishery, to cap the menhaden harvest by purse seine while further study can be done to assess its impact on the striped bass population and overall health of the bay. The proposal is favored by recreational fishing and conservation groups, and would limit the harvest to 110,400 metric tons annually.
However, Texas-based Omega Protein, which takes 90 percent of the East Coast menhaden catch, is circulating a proposal that would increase the harvest by 30 percent. The company's proposal would also increase the harvest by 23 percent over the average catch from the previous five years.
Some call menhaden the "most important fish in the sea," as they are prime food sources for striped bass and other popular sportfish. They are also one of the main filter feeders for Chesapeake Bay, second only to oysters. Recent studies by "Menhaden Matter," which includes the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Coastal Conservation Association, Environmental Defense and the National Coalition for Marine Conservation, have shown that the overall numbers of menhaden are at historic lows, and predators that depend on them as a food source, such as stripers, are suffering from malnutrition.
The public will soon be asked to comment and attend hearings in Maryland, Virginia and other East Coast states. Officials say a final decision on the harvest limit could come as early as August.
[url "http://www.menhadenmatter.org/"]http://www.menhadenmatter.org/[/url]
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