• The Atlantic menhaden fishery has been studied actively by marine scientists and the menhaden fishery has been operating under several management plans since 1981 and 1992.
  
  (SOURCE: Amendment 1 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Menhaden. Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. Pp. 1-2, 38; July, 2001.)
  
  
• The Atlantic menhaden fishery is being managed by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC), a multi-state compact established by federal law more than 50 years ago. This commission is comprised of state fishery directors, marine scientists, and legislative and public representatives.
  
  (SOURCE: Amendment 1 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Menhaden. Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. P. 1; July, 2001.)
  
  
• This commission has the responsibility and authority to determine the health of the Atlantic menhaden fishery and to determine Atlantic menhaden harvest limits.
  
  (SOURCE: Amendment 1 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Menhaden. Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. Pp. 54-58, 46; July, 2001.)
  
  
• Because of the importance of the menhaden as a valuable resource to diverse commercial, ecological and sport-fishing interests, it is one of the most intensively studied species for the past 50 years.
  
  (SOURCE: Analyses on the Status of the Atlantic Menhaden Stock. NOAA Fisheries Center for Coastal Fisheries and Habitat Research. Pp. 27, 39-41; June 7, 2001.)
  
  
• The Atlantic Menhaden Technical Committee has determined that the Atlantic menhaden fishery is healthy. "Based on the revised biological reference points, the Atlantic menhaden population is not overfished and overfishing is not occurring."
  
  (SOURCE: 2001 Status of Atlantic Menhaden Stock and Fishery. Atlantic Menhaden Technical Committee. P. 5; July 1, 2001; also Analyses on the Status of the Atlantic Menhaden Stock. NOAA Fisheries Center for Coastal Fisheries and Habitat Research. Pp. 41-42; June 7, 2001.)
  
  
• The current Atlantic fishing mortality (F) is 0.6, well below the target of 0.9 set by the ASMFC, indicating that overfishing is not occurring.
  
  (SOURCE: Amendment 1 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Menhaden. Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. P. 47; July, 2001; also 2001 Status of Atlantic Menhaden Stock and Fishery. Atlantic Menhaden Technical Committee. P. 5; July 1, 2001)
  
  
• The current capability of the Atlantic menhaden to reproduce (spawning stock biomass, SSB) is 90,100 metric tons, well above the threshold of 20,500 metric tons established by ASMFC.
  
  (SOURCE: Amendment 1 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Menhaden. Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. P. 47; July, 2001; also 2001 Status of Atlantic Menhaden Stock and Fishery. Atlantic Menhaden Technical Committee. P. 5; July 1, 2001)
  
  
• The reproduction capability of the Atlantic menhaden (SSB), although cyclical, is increasing.
  
  (SOURCE: Analyses on the Status of the Atlantic Menhaden Stock. NOAA Fisheries Center for Coastal Fisheries and Habitat Research. P. 15; June 7, 2001.)
  
  
• The mean weight of the Atlantic menhaden is increasing. "Interestingly, exceptionally large menhaden were encountered in the Chesapeake Bay during summer 1996 (one individual was 432 mm fork length, weighing 1.55 kg, and aged by scales to be 7 years old. The existence of this school of large old menhaden tends to Support the robustness of the spawning stock during the mid.-1990s."
  
  (SOURCE: Analyses on the Status of the Atlantic Menhaden Stock. NOAA Fisheries Center for Coastal Fisheries and Habitat Research. P. 3; June 7, 2001.)
  
  
• The decrease in landings of Atlantic menhaden by the reduction industry is directly proportional to the size of the active fishing fleet and their effort, not the size of the Atlantic menhaden population abundance. "It has been demonstrated for purse seine fisheries, in general, that catch-per-unit-of-effort and nominal fishing effort are poor measures of population abundance and fishing mortality, respectively."
  
  (SOURCE: Analyses on the Status of the Atlantic Menhaden Stock. NOAA Fisheries Center for Coastal Fisheries and Habitat Research. P. 2; June 7, 2001; also (SOURCE: Amendment 1 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Menhaden. Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. Pp. 51-52, 38; July, 2001; also 2001 Status of Atlantic Menhaden Stock and Fishery. Atlantic Menhaden Technical Committee. P. 5; July 1, 2001)
  

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