NEWS
Gulf Menhaden Population Confirmed Healthy
GULF SHORES, AL / October 17, 2024
The Gulf menhaden fishery continues to be harvesting sustainably and effectively managed, according to a new report by the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission (GSMFC). Approved by the GSMFC at its annual meeting this week, the 2024 Update to the Gulf of Mexico Menhaden Stock Assessment once again confirms that the Gulf menhaden stock is neither overfished nor experiencing overfishing.
The updated stock assessment includes new data from 2021 to 2023, the years since the last Gulf menhaden assessment was completed in 2021. In addition to its primary conclusion showing no overfishing, the assessment has positive news for several other key metrics of the stock's health. Spawning stock biomass (the combined weight of all fish capable of reproducing) has continued to rise steadily since the 1990s and remains at a high, sustainable level. Fishing mortality rates decreased in the 1990s and 2000s and have remained at lower levels ever since.
Menhaden Fisheries Coalition and Virginia Waterman's Association Thank Governor Youngkin for Declaring "Commercial Waterman Safety Week" in Response to Growing Threats
WASHINGTON, DC / September 18, 2024
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin has declared this week, September 15-21, 2024, "Commercial Waterman Safety Week." The governor's proclamation recognizes that Virginia's more than 1,500 commercial watermen "risk their lives sustaining a tradition passed down through generations," help generate over $1 billion in economic impact for the Commonwealth, and deserve "access to a secure and safe work environment."
The Menhaden Fisheries Coalition and the Virginia Waterman's Association are grateful to Governor Youngkin for recognizing the vital role of Virginia watermen, including menhaden fishermen and watermen harvesting crabs, oysters, clams, fish, and other shellfish. Governor Youngkin has taken important steps to ensure Virginia's fishermen and watermen have a safe place to work on the water.
U.S. Geological Survey Presentation Raises Questions About Osprey-Menhaden Link Allegations
WASHINGTON, DC / August 7, 2024
Today at the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) summer meeting, the Menhaden Management Board heard a presentation on osprey populations from U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists; considered but did not agree to a motion to start an addendum on additional commercial menhaden fishing restrictions in the Chesapeake Bay; and ultimately agreed, as a compromise, to create a working group to "consider and evaluate options for further precautionary management of Chesapeake Bay menhaden fisheries."
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) has issued a stunningly deceptive press release, mischaracterizing the tone of today's ASMFC meeting and the action taken there. The CBF release suggests that the material presented by USGS overwhelmingly indicated a problem with osprey in the Chesapeake Bay, and that there was overwhelming support by ASMFC commissioners for additional regulation of menhaden in the Chesapeake Bay. Neither is true. The Menhaden Fisheries Coalition is issuing this release, together with the full audio of the meeting, to clarify the record. The full audio is available here.
US Maritime Administration Tells Undercurrent News That Cooke Menhaden Supplier Is 'In Compliance' With Foreign Ownership Law
WASHINGTON, DC / June 10, 2024
In a story published Friday, Jason Smith of Undercurrent News reported that the US Maritime Administration (MARAD), the chief regulator for enforcing foreign ownership rules in US menhaden fisheries, cleared Omega Protein's menhaden supplier of any wrongdoing in a 2020 investigation.
A lawsuit filed in June 2021 by plaintiffs W. Benson Chiles and Chris Manthey in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, and unsealed on April 23, 2024, alleges that Cooke Inc., its menhaden-processing subsidiary Omega Protein, and Alpha VesselCo. (operating as "Ocean Harvesters") were violating the American Fisheries Act (AFA). Ocean Harvesters harvests menhaden and supplies the fish to Omega Protein.
Virginia Governor Youngkin Signs Law Protecting Watermen from Harassment
REEDVILLE, VA / April 9, 2024
Delegate Hillary Pugh Kent, representing Virginia's Northern Neck and Caroline County in House District 67, has announced that Governor Glenn Youngkin has signed into law "The Right to Fish" bill, to protect commercial watermen from interference, which she sponsored.
According to Delegate Kent, "House Bill 928, a bill to protect commercial watermen while they are working in Virginia waters, was signed by Governor Youngkin last week. This bill recognizes the importance of our state's seafood industry by creating protections for commercial watermen and deterring unlawful interference. This new law will provide restitution against those who purposefully inhibit fishing and destroy the property of commercial watermen. It will reinforce the continued viability of our fishing and seafood industries, which are necessary to the economic and cultural fabric of the Northern Neck and all of the Commonwealth."
Virginia Legislature Subcommittee Acts Favorably on Bill to Combat Threats and Interference with Commercial Fishing Vessels
RICHMOND, VA / February 2, 2024
The Virginia House of Delegates Courts of Justice - Criminal Subcommittee, has favorably reported HB 928, legislation to protect commercial watermen, by a unanimous, bipartisan vote of 8-0.
In response to a rising number of threats and at-sea harassment targeting commercial fishermen operating legally in Virginia waters, two bills were introduced in the 2024 Virginia legislative session. The bills, from Delegate Hillary Pugh Kent and Delegate Robert S. Bloxom, Jr. would increase the penalties for intentionally interfering with commercial fishing operations. Today Delegate Kent's bill was considered, amended, and passed by the subcommittee. The bill increases penalties to a Class 1 misdemeanor which is confinement in jail for not more than twelve months and a fine of not more than $2,500, either or both. Additionally, anyone convicted will forfeit hunting and fishing licenses for one year on first offense, and three years on a second offense.
Read the full release here
Menhaden Fisheries Coalition Corrects Misleading Statements from Chesapeake Legal Alliance and Southern Maryland Recreational Fishing Organization
REEDVILLE, VA / December 21, 2023
The Menhaden Fisheries Coalition addresses five inaccurate and misleading statements made in a recent press release by the Chesapeake Legal Alliance and the Southern Maryland Recreational Fishing Organization regarding their petition for rulemaking to the Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC). A brief overview of inaccuracies, expert statements, and scientific findings is listed below, followed by a more detailed discussion of each false claim.
Read the full release here
Statement from the Gulf Menhaden Fisheries Coalition on Gulf Ecosystem Model Paper by Igal Berenshtein et al.
WASHINGTON, DC / February 28, 2023
The Gulf of Mexico menhaden fishing industry supports the development and implementation of Ecosystem Based Fisheries Management (EBFM). We fully recognize the importance of managing marine resources on an ecosystem basis, as all species within the Gulf of Mexico interact with one another to a varying extent. This position is consistent with the Atlantic menhaden fishery's support for ecological reference points, which were developed, peer reviewed, and implemented for management in 2020.
Our industry has a long track record of using the best science to support the sustainability of the Gulf menhaden fishery. To that end we sought and received the Marine Stewardship Council's (MSC) globally recognized sustainability certification in 2019. The MSC certification process recognizes our purse seine fishery as sustainable in an ecosystem context, with minimal impact to the environment, including both habitats and other marine organisms.
Read the full release here
With Ecosystem-Based Reference Points in Place, Atlantic Menhaden Assessment Again Shows Fishery Healthy, Sustainable, Not Overfished
ARLINGTON, VA / August 3, 2022
The latest Atlantic menhaden stock assessment accepted today by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) confirms once again that Atlantic menhaden is healthy, not overfished, and that overfishing is not occurring. Significantly, this assessment was completed using new ecological reference points, standards that account for the needs of predator species when determining menhaden's sustainable status.
In the past, single-species stock assessments that found menhaden to be healthy and not overfished were criticized by some for not taking into account interdependencies between species. The ASMFC's ecosystem-based reference points were developed over years, with support from industry, recreational fishermen, and environmental groups, to move away from managing species in isolation and consider the needs of predator species and the ecosystem as a whole.
New 'Salmon Wars' Book Spreads Menhaden Myths
WASHINGTON, DC / July 13, 2022
Yesterday, Macmillan Publishers released Salmon Wars, a factually questionable book by former Los Angeles Times managing editor Douglas Frantz and former journalist turned private writer Catherine Collins. The book falsely claims that "overfishing from the Gulf of Mexico north to the Chesapeake Bay threatens a slender fish called a menhaden," and inaccurately states that menhaden is "an integral player in minimizing algae blooms because it eats phytoplankton."
According to the February 2020 stock assessment accepted by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, the Congressionally-chartered interstate compact that regulates shared migratory fishery resources among East Coast states, Atlantic menhaden is neither overfished nor is overfishing occurring. A simple cursory review of the assessment clearly illustrates that the Atlantic menhaden population has not been overfished in several decades. Similarly, in 2021, the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission found that the "Gulf of Mexico Gulf Menhaden stock is not experiencing overfishing and is not overfished."
Restrictive Louisiana Menhaden Legislation Would Have Major Costs; New Report Details Fishery’s Economic Value
BATON ROUGE, LA / April 29, 2022
A bill introduced in the Louisiana State Legislature earlier this month would enact harsh restrictions on menhaden fishing within the three miles from shore comprising the state's waters. Now a new economic report, funded by the Science Center for Marine Fisheries (SCEMFIS), shows the economic importance of the Gulf menhaden fishery to Louisiana and Mississippi, illustrating how devastating such legislation could be to coastal communities.
Produced by Thomas J. Murray and Associates and led by a respected former Virginia Institute of Marine Science economist, the report shows that over two-thirds (67.7 percent) of the overall Gulf menhaden catch coastwide occurs within three miles of shore, generating $285 million in economic output. Menhaden fishing in these state waters supports 1,400 jobs, according to the report. Overall, the Gulf menhaden fishery generates $419 million in economic output and supports 2,059 jobs.
Gulf Menhaden Population Continues to be Sustainably Harvested, According to Recent Scientific Stock Assessment
OCEAN SPRINGS, MS / November 9, 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.
Read the full release here
New Analysis Shows Minuscule Impact of Fishing on Atlantic Menhaden
WASHINGTON, DC / August 3, 2020
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.
Read the full release here