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News:
For Immediate Release
October,
2003
MENHADEN
RESOURCE COUNCIL RESPONDS TO PETITION SEEKING
PURSE SEINE FISHING BAN OF MENHADEN IN BAY
ARLINGTON, VA -- Recently,
a small group of striped bass sport angling enthusiasts
from Northern Virginia called the “National Coalition
for Marine Conservation” (“NCMC”) stated its intention
to lobby to ban the commercial harvest of Atlantic
menhaden fish in Virginia’s Chesapeake Bay waters.
Fortunately, such a prohibition is unnecessary
to ensure the continued wise conservation of the
menhaden fish population, as supported by our
state and federal fishery scientists and experts
charged with regulating this public resource.
Unfortunately, the NCMC is using fear to promote
their sport over the livelihood of the Chesapeake
Bay watermen and their families.
The commercial fishery for menhaden is one of
the oldest in existence in the United States,
and its harvests have supported the Virginia economy
since the late 1800’s. The menhaden industry
has been the largest employer in the “Northern
Neck” since 1913, and is even furthering expansion
this year with the construction of a new $17 million
processing facility to produce food grade omega-3
oil for enhancing the health of humans and animals.
Throughout the long history of the menhaden industry,
populations of menhaden, like other fish, have
varied. However, unlike some other mismanaged
fisheries, menhaden populations have been tightly
regulated, monitored and enforced for decades
to ensure that the fishery remains sustainable
indefinitely. Most importantly, according to both
the National Marine Fisheries Service and the
Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, Atlantic
menhaden fish populations are currently in a “healthy”
condition. Furthermore, the ASMFC Fishery Management
Plan includes specific objectives to ensure that
the resource is managed as a public resource for
all Virginians, not just commercial or sport fishermen.
Contrary to the misguided assertions of sport
angler lobbyists, the number of reproductively
mature female adults is at a very high level.
In fact, this population of large adults is nearly
three-times the target level established by scientists,
indicating that plenty of mature menhaden exist
to reproduce successfully. Furthermore, to ensure
the conservation of the menhaden, commercial fishermen
have voluntarily reduced the amount of fishing
pressure on these fish over the past decade.
In
sum, the federal and state regulatory scientists
that oversee the Atlantic menhaden resource agree
that menhaden stocks are currently healthy. More
than adequate numbers of large reproductively-active
female menhaden exist, and the fishing mortality
rate for these fish is in a “safe” area, thereby
ensuring the continued health of their populations.
Ultimately, unnecessary petitions such as the
one currently lobbied by a small group of sport
anglers, needlessly serve to distract the ongoing
efforts of our fishery regulators. With a fully-recovered
striped bass resource and booming sport catches,
it would appear that the greed of a handful of
these sport advocates has no bounds. Hopefully
soon, these lobbyists will understand the science
behind the fishery efforts and will support and
trust the regulators of menhaden. In the end,
this will mean continued employment and economic
growth for Virginians.
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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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