Chapter 13
A World Without
Menhaden
“Animals, whom we have made our slaves, we do not like to
consider our equal.”
- Charles Darwin
The sound of the waves crashing on the shore, the salty breeze and
warmth of the sun kissing your skin; these among others are just a few of
the reasons why people gravitate to the beach. Tourists, surfers,
children, and adults look forward to splashing and swimming in the water
and burying their toes in the wet sand. Many people aren’t aware as to
what exactly is swimming around their ankles. Thousands of aquatic
species are a part of the vast ecosystem of the Ocean. Without certain
species, the ecosystem would struggle and could potentially fail. In
previous chapters of this book we have learned about the Chesapeake
Bay, water pollution, and a few specific species that are heavily affected
by human interaction. In this chapter, we will focus on a single species,
the most important fish in the sea, the Menhaden.
Menhaden have played an important role throughout history
beginning with the first settlements and the pilgrims. When John Cabot
discovered the new world in 1497, he also discovered a fish that would
end up being one of the most useful substances to humanity. Many
believe that the menhaden was the fish that the American Indian
Squanto taught the pilgrims to use as fertilizer for their crops.
The Indians named this fish “munnawhatteaug”
which directly translates to “fertilizer” or
Figure 1
“he who enriches the land.” “What they
meant by tat was simple: used in modest
subsistence farming, the fish bequeathed
its rich nutrients to the soil. They could
hardly have imagined the scene two
centuries later, when the fish they had named ‘he enriches the land’ would be
converted by the billions into industrial commodities and personal wealth.”
(Franklin)
Atlantic menhaden form an important link in the Chesapeake Bay food
web. The small fish form large schools and are harvested commercially for bait
and for an industry that uses them to produce fishmeal and fish oil.i
(Chesapeake Bay Program) Menhaden are flat, have soft flesh, and a deeply
forked tail. They rarely exceed 15 inches (38 cm) in length, and have a varied
weight range. Gulf menhaden and Atlantic menhaden are small oily-fleshed fish,
bright silver, and characterized by a series of smaller spots behind the main,
humeral spot.ii (Wikipedia) Menhaden travel in large, slow-moving, and tightlypacked schools with open mouths. Filter feeders typically take into their open
mouths "materials in the same proportions as they occur in ambient waters".
Menhaden have two main sources of food: phytoplankton and zooplankton. A
menhaden’s diet varies considerably over the course of its lifetime, and is
directly related to its size. The smallest menhaden, typically those under one
year old, eat primarily phytoplankton. After that age, adult menhaden gradually
shift to a diet comprised almost exclusively of zooplankton.iii (Wikipedia)
Menhaden play a very large role in not only the aquatic the food chain,
but also the food chain on land. Very similar to oysters, menhaden help filter
the water of toxins and other pollutants. Without filtering species, our waters
would be over-nourished causing things like algae-blooms. An algal bloom is a
rapid increase or accumulation in the population of algae in freshwater or
marine water systems, and are recognized by the discoloration in the water
from their pigments.[2] Cyanobacteria blooms are often called blue-green algae.
Blooms which can injure animals or the ecology are called "harmful algal blooms"
(HAB), and can lead to fish die-offs, cities cutting off water to residents, or
states having to close fisheries.iv(Wikipedia)
Atlantic menhaden are an important link between plankton and upper
level predators. Because of their filter feeding abilities, "menhaden consume
and redistribute a significant amount of energy within and between
Chesapeake Bay and other estuaries, and the coastal ocean." Because they play
this role, and their abundance, menhaden are an invaluable prey species for
many predatory fish, such as striped bass, bluefish, mackerel, flounder, tuna,
Drum (fish), and sharks. They are also a very important food source for many
birds, including egrets, ospreys, seagulls, northern gannets, pelicans, and
herons.v (Wikipedia) Hundreds of millions of pounds of the menhaden fish are
processed annually, making them the number one species fished for in the
United States. Not only
do they provide food
for marine life, but they
also provide a
substantial amount of
protein or dogs and
cats. “Their dried-out
Figure 2
carcasses are then pulverized, scooped into huge piles, containerized, and
shipped out as feed for domestic cats and dogs, farmed fish, and, most of all,
poultry and pigs.”vi(Franklin) The menhaden’s primary use in today’s world is for
Omega-3 pills. Omega Protein has developed a complete line of premium,
sustainable, omega-3 rich fish oil to improve the nutritional integrity of
aquaculture, livestock and companion animal feed. Omega-3 fatty acids may
provide a number of health and performance benefits. These essential
nutrients improve immune response, support reproductive function, and
reduce inflammation to improve overall health and performance.vii(Omega
Protein) Menhaden reduction industry has become one of the largest
corporate competitions in today’s world. Industrial fishing has become an
enormous problem in the world as of today. The menhaden population is quickly
depleting over time due to over-exploitation.
A very common way of harvesting menhaden is by a purse seine. A purse
seine is a large wall of netting deployed around an entire area or school of fish.
The seine has floats along the top line with a lead line threaded through rings
along the bottom. Once a school of fish is located, a skiff encircles the school
with the net. The lead line is then pulled in, "pursing" the net closed on the
bottom, preventing fish from escaping by swimming downward. The catch is
harvested by either hauling the net aboard or bringing it alongside the
vessel.viii(NOAA Fisheries) Not only does the purse seine capture hundreds of
menhaden, it can also catch things like dolphins or sea turtles. Fishing
companies will throw back the injured marine life to the se without a thought
as to if they will be able to survive further. This way of fishing is also very
unfair to the fish being as there is no possible way for them to escape it. Purse
Figure 3
Seining is very
inhumane and
cruel and we
should work to
make it illegal for
large fishing
corporations.
Lee
Crockett of The
Pew Charitable Trusts writes “Anglers like me are often impressed with size.
We seek out the largest fish, revel in stories about the “big one” that got away,
and proudly display photos of our most impressive catches. But it’s a small,
unassuming fish, the Atlantic menhaden, which forms the backbone of
ecosystems and economies along the East Coast of the United States.
Unfortunately, after decades of poorly regulated fishing, menhaden are in
serious trouble.”ix Many organizations like Lee’s are working tirelessly to build
awareness to the importance of the menhaden and the serious effects that its
eventual extinction would have on certain ecosystems and our food chain as a
whole. It is very important that people begin to open their eyes to the problem
that is at hand.
One may ask what laws are in place currently to try to prevent the
extinction of menhaden. The Atlantic menhaden fishery is managed by the
Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's (ASMFC) Atlantic Menhaden
Management Board, which tracks and regulates harvest under Amendment 2 to
the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic menhaden. In May 2015,
the Board approved a total allowable catch (TAC) of 187,880 metric tons per
year for 2015 and 2016 for the entire Atlantic Coast, including the Chesapeake
Bay.x(NOAA) Fisheries are expected to close when they have reached the
amount allowed and will be fined and potentially shut down if caught. It’s time
for people to realize damage quickly being done to our waters as a result of loss
of menhaden. We could potentially witness the loss of a great species in our
lifetime due to human interaction. Contact your legislature and local
businesses to see what they can do to help. Together, we can save this
spectacular species.
Bibliography
i
Program, Chesapeake Bay. "Chesapeake Bay Program." Bay Blog RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Nov. 2016.
"Menhaden." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 07 Nov. 2016.
iii
Ibid.
iv
"Algal Bloom." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 07 Nov. 2016.
v
Ibid.
vi
Franklin, H. Bruce. The Most Important Fish in the Sea: Menhaden and America. Washington: Island/Shearwater,
2007. Print. page 6
vii
"Leading Producer of Menhaden Fish Oil- Omega Protein." Omega Protein. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Nov. 2016.
viii
"Purse Seine: Fishing Gear and Risks to Protected Species." NOAA Fisheries. N.p., n.d. Web.
ix
"Overfishing 101: A Small Fish With Big Problems – National ..." N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Nov. 2016.
x
Administrator, and Blue Water Media, Inc., (202)861-0000, Www.bluewatermedia.com. "Menhaden - Fish Facts Chesapeakebay.noaa.gov." Menhaden - Fish Facts - Chesapeakebay.noaa.gov. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Nov. 2016.
ii
Figure 1
https://www.google.com/search?q=squanto+and+menhaden&rlz=1C1CHFX_enUS678US678&espv=2&biw=1280&
bih=592&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjzy8H7h5jQAhVLw4MKHb5jCaIQ_AUIBigB#imgrc=qo6TBs1
niMR9KM%3A
Figure 2
https://www.google.com/search?q=omega+3+menhaden&rlz=1C1CHFX_enUS678US678&espv=2&biw=1280&bih=
592&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwif_OG5hpjQAhWl3YMKHcTWBoIQ_AUICCgD#imgrc=v5PM1s_c
DIqxEM%3A
Figure 3
https://www.google.com/search?q=purse+seining&rlz=1C1CHFX_enUS678US678&espv=2&biw=1280&bih=592&s
ource=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjSkIqih5jQAhVDzIMKHYnEBw4Q_AUIBygC#imgrc=4sfpfp7WwnpWFM
%3A