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News:
For Immediate Release
January
2003
Atlantic
Menhaden Stock Is Healthy, Fishery Board Reports
American
Heart Association Recommends Daily Dose of Fish
Oil
ARLINGTON,
VIRGINIA–The Atlantic menhaden fishery, America’s
leading source of nutritionally desirable fish
oil, is healthy and is not being overfished, according
to the latest scientific report issued by the
Atlantic Menhaden Management Board (AMMB) of the
Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission.
In
its annual report on the status of Atlantic menhaden
stock, which was approved by the AMMB at its November
19, 2002 meeting, the Board said "The status
of the stock is considered healthy." That
report, which is based upon the on-going scientific
study of menhaden by federal and state fisheries
agencies, also noted that the fishery’s stock
of breeding age fish "can be considered very
healthy," a strong indicator that menhaden
will remain abundant in the year ahead.
A
relative of the herring that is found in large
quantities along the Atlantic Coast and in the
Gulf of Mexico, menhaden are the nation’s leading
source of edible fish oil, which is rich in nutritionally
desirable Omega-3 fatty acids. Refined menhaden
oil, which has neither a fishy taste nor odor,
is used in a variety of healthy foods for human
consumption because of its high Omega-3 fatty
acid content.
The
American Heart Association recently recommended
that Americans consume fish oil daily because
the Omega-3 fatty acids it contains can cut the
risk of potentially fatal irregular heartbeat
associated with heat attacks, lower blood pressure
and reduce the formation of blood clots which
are linked to heart attacks and strokes. The Omega-3
fatty acids in menhaden oil have also been linked
to a number of other health benefits, including
the treatment of inflammatory disorders such as
arthritis, improving brain and eye function, and
easing depression.
"The
menhaden resource is healthy – and it will help
keep America healthy," Menhaden Resource
Council spokesman Niels Moore said.
The
Atlantic menhaden fishery is one of the most extensively
studied of United States fisheries with scientific
records dating back to the 19th Century.
The fishery is managed by the Atlantic States
Marine Fisheries Commission, which includes fishery
managers and other representatives from all 15
East Coast states.
The
Menhaden Resource Council is an educational and
informational organization supported by the menhaden
industry. For more information on the menhaden
resource please visit the MRC Web site at www.menhaden.org.
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