Atlantic
menhaden, Brevoortia tyrannus, supports one of the most
important and productive fisheries on the Atlantic coast. It is
a major source of omega-3 fatty acids, which has been shown to
cut risks of heart disease and possibly other diseases such as
Alzheimer’s. Menhaden is also used by fishermen as bait
to catch popular commercial and sport fish. The species also plays
in important role in marine ecosystems as both a forage fish to
larger predators and a filter feeder. The latest stock assessment
information, updated in 2006, indicates that Atlantic menhaden
are not overfished and overfishing is not occurring on a coastwide
basis..
In 2004, the Commission
approved Addendum I of Amendment 1 to the Interstate Fishery Management
Plan for Atlantic Menhaden. This plan put in place biological
reference points currently used to manage the fishery in a manner
that is biologically, economically, socially, and ecologically
sound.
Addendum III, approved
in October 2006, establishes a five-year annual cap on reduction
fishery harvests in Chesapeake Bay of 109,020 metric tons, a number
derived from the average of harvests from 2001 – 2005. The
cap will be implemented in 2006 and extend through 2010. Harvest
for reduction purposes will be prohibited in the Chesapeake Bay
when 100% of the cap is landed. Over-harvest in any given year
would be deducted from the next year’s quota. The Addendum
also includes a provision allowing under-harvest in one year to
be credited only to the following year’s harvest, not to
exceed 122,740 metric tons.
As an important
prey species, menhaden is also one of four fish (bluefish, weakfish
and striped bass) currently being used to investigate the potential
impacts of predator-prey interactions on marine fishery resources.
Through the use of multispecies
assessment models, the Commission has begun to quantify and
explain the important relationship between forage fish and predators,
with the ulitmate goal of improving our understanding and management
of both.<species
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