http://www.chesapeakebay.net/atlantic_menhaden.htm
Posted
January 11, 2006
2005 saw lots of action with regard to Menhaden, but not
much in the way of results that either conserved the stock or improved water
quality in the Bay. Certainly MSSA had a significant role in raising awareness
about Menhaden. Our efforts plus those of other organizations got the issues
defined and clearly in front of the ASMFC. By their own statements this was the
hottest issue they have been faced with and had by far more public input than
any other regulatory proposal in recent history. All of the public interest and
participation peaked in early August before the August 17th meeting
of the Menhaden Management Board. Generally, we might expect that since the
timing was good that something positive would result.
The results, however, are not impressive. While many feel
that the 106,000 metric ton bay cap was a significant event, it is difficult to
see how it was a positive factor. For one thing, the actual harvest is less
than the allowable harvest thus not improving the availability of Menhaden to
the Bay. Further, there still is no limitation on the harvest external to the
Bay except in those states where industrial harvesting of Menhaden has already
been outlawed. Thus, the stock as a whole is not protected from over fishing,
which could well be why recruitment continues to decline. The present cap is
intended to be in the place for five years. Consequently the most probable
reaction will be a substantial decline in public interest and/or activity to
attempt to have the regulations changed by ASMFC.
There are several observations from this experience that
perhaps are worth noting:
1.) The ASMFC has no particular concern with what the public wants in the way of
regulations and are not accountable to anyone, apparently, for results of their
management.
2.) The overwhelming dependence on “science” to manage is of considerable
concern. Science should be one factor in the decision making process, not a
substitute for managing. Worse, there are many “sciences” that should be
utilized, but ASMFC simply excludes those that are external to their concept of
fishery science. The computer model approach to fishery management has not been
particularly effective but it continues to be the central factor in ASMFC’s
management program. If these complex programs were that good we wouldn’t end up
with several species in trouble.
3.) Unless Congress, which spawned the ASMFC, gets sufficiently aroused to
revisit how this organization functions there is not likely to be any way to
make them accountable and responsive.
4.) The only thing that would force an action adverse to commercial interests
would be the collapse of the breeding stock to the point that by their own
trigger points action would have to be taken by ASMFC to reduce the harvest.
So in the near term we can expect no action in the regulatory arena and anything
significant would have to be external to current management effort. There are
some things that could have significant effects:
1.) Omega Protein’s operations and financial results in the Gulf of Mexico were
severely impacted by hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The Moss Point plant and
vessel repair facility in Mississippi was shut down by Katrina. Considerable
water damage was incurred but the plant was returned to operation on a limited
basis by mid October. Omega’s plant in Abbeyville had a similar event and is
also back in operation for the remainder of this fishing season. The Cameron
plant was completely destroyed by Rita and rumors suggest it may not be
rebuilt. Empire, the competitive plant on the Gulf, was similarly destroyed,
but rumor has it that it will be rebuilt. The reported losses Omega, net of
insurance, are placed, to date, at $13 million. Financial results for Omega,
thru the first 3 quarters is a loss of $8 million. This situation has prompted
some speculation that Malcom Glazer might decide this is a good time to exit the
business. The stock value has declined to a point where the outstanding stock
is only 83% of the stated book asset value.
2.) While this is a long shot, the work being done by Jim Price and Dr. Overton
aimed toward getting Atlantic Menhaden declared threatened under the endangered
species act is going forward. It is my understanding that the technical
committee of ASMFC’s Menhaden Management Board will finally review the research
at their February meeting. I would not care to guess how it will fare with this
group based on their past performance or even if accepted would have any effect
on action by the Commissioners. How the appeal to the Federal Regulators will
go is equally unknown and it will take about 2 years to go thru the process.
Should it be successful a moratorium on all methods of Menhaden harvesting would
result ( not necessarily the desired effect ) until such time as the species was
removed from the “threatened” list at whatever stock level would justify the
relaxation.
2006 ?? Looks like a dull year for Menhaden control despite all the political
maneuvering about the failures of the Bay clean up efforts. Simple solutions
appear to be too complex for the political mind. Imagine the effort going into
multi-species management computer models, when we can’t keep individual species
straight with these techniques. Sounds like your government at work.
Charles
Hutchinson
Posted
7/21/05
7/20 - Update on Menhaden Issues
Public hearings have been held on the proposed changes in Menhaden fishing
regulations in most of the effected states, 12 meetings in all. The
overwhelming response from those who attended these meetings was for a
significant cut in the harvest up to and including a moratorium. Omega Protein
has virtually no support for a continuation of its' unregulated harvest. The
request for significant action by the ASMFC Management Board, however may be to
no avail. The options for limits contained in the Public Interest Document do
not have any material effect on Omega. Unless action is taken to revise the PID,
it will be business as usual. Efforts are underway to get the options expanded.
Greenpeace has appeared at all of the meetings calling for a moratorium and
are planning a demonstration in the waters around the Reedville plant on 7/23.
Should attract some serious media attention.
Charles Hutchinson
Posted
5/10/05
Address to Menhaden Management Board 5/11/05
Thank you Mr. Chairman
My name is Charles Hutchinson and I am associated with the Maryland Saltwater
Sportsfishermens Association. MSSA's position with regard to the proposed
research program and limits on the reduction fishing in Chesapeake Bay has been
communicated to you in advance of this meeting and is available to others on the
table to the rear of the room.
I would like to elaborate a bit on the research program. While we are
supportive of the projects designed to increase the knowledge about menhaden on
a Bay specific basis, there are other branches of science which are not
represented in your proposal. Of vital interest to those concerned with the
restoration of the Bay, the need for filtration and nitrogen removal is a key
issue. We believe the needs of the Bay for menhaden must include not just
forage but filtration as well. Thus, five years from now, or when ever the
proposed research projects are completed, only half of the equation is known.
If it is worth $10 million to figure out one part, isn't it reasonable to spend
some effort on the second part?
The second area of "science" not recognized is economics. Recently Southwick
Associates completed a study of the relative values of commercial vs.
recreational fisheries for striped bass. Not surprisingly the recreational
value exceeded the commercial by a wide margin. In the course of their work
they reported the economic value of recreational fishing just for stripers in
Maryland and Virginia to be $338,646,000 and $131,400,000 respectively; a total
of $470,000,000. And that doesn't take into consideration expenditures made to
catch Blues, Trout, Flounder, Hardhead and any other species. Compare that to
the reported value of sales of Omega's products at about $120,000,000 for both
the Atlantic and the Gulf. I might guess at $30,000,000 to $40,000,000 to be
applicable to Reedville. Not considered in this equation is the value of the
menhaden bait fishing in the Bay. Again the economic values of the fisheries to
the states is serious dollars and serious job content. Should that engine be
derailed by inadequate measures to protect the stock and improve menhaden access
to the Bay everyone loses. So we encourage you not only to broaden your
perspective with regard to limits but to research also.
It is generally accepted that about 90% of the striped bass have their origins
in the Chesapeake Bay. Coastwise the value of the striped bass revenues comes
out to be about $2,000,000,000 and nearly 20,000 jobs. A sick bay without
sufficient forage cannot continue to support a population of the size necessary
to yield a harvest of 30 million lbs.
In addition are the $30,000,000,000 estimated costs to restore bay health,
some of which can be offset by better filtration. The economics seem to speak
for themselves and should be sufficient incentive to take the appropriate
measures to guarantee an adequate supply of Menhaden to the Chesapeake.
Charles Hutchinson
MSSA Menhaden Committee
OBSERVATIONS ON MENHADEN MANAGEMENT
By Maryland Saltwater Sportfishermen's Association
The Maryland Saltwater Sportsfishermen's Association (MSSA) has been a close
observer of the Menhaden Management Board's functionality and has been active in
promoting faster and more effective action to resolve the issues surrounding
Menhaden in the Chesapeake Bay.
The research program which the Board will be asked to approve certainly will
go a long way toward quantifying the abundance questions relative to the
Chesapeake and perhaps it will also answer questions about why things are the
way they are. The data gathered surely will facilitate the objective of multi
species management. There are however, areas of concern not addressed by this
series of projects. Specifically there does not seem to be any research
directed toward the effects of Menhaden on water quality which is another of the
ASMFC's objectives. We believe the needs of the Bay for the ecological
capabilities of Menhaden are equally important.
In the area of managing the existing stock of Menhaden, the Board will be
asked to address the issue of a cap on the industrial harvest of Menhaden. It
is interesting to note that a multiplicity of options have been provided some of
which consider not just the Bay but concern the coastwise stock as well.
Further, all methods of harvest are considered and the data on landings
indicated that the reduction industry is not as large a portion of the total as
we originally thought. Some recent information questions the health of the
coastwise stock and provides some clues about declining recruitment. We feel it
is wise to broaden the scope of the inquiry since the major portion of the
harvest is in the Chesapeake but actions there will affect the entire stock.
This more comprehensive approach probably will yield better results and
whatever limits are imposed, they should be applied for the duration of the
approved research program.
Menhaden Committee
Maryland Saltwater Sportsfishermens Association
Posted
4/18/05
MENHADEN RESEARCH
ASMFC believes fishing is not the major cause of the decline of Menhaden
in the Bay, even suggesting natural mortality might be the case. These are both
guesses and excuses, which in no way condones their lack of action. Whatever the
Menhaden numbers are, menhaden filter! The technical committee of ASMFC has
spent a lot of time on this problem and could continue to juggle it for years,
preventing the Menhaden from doing the job they do so well, filter the water and
provide the necessary forage for the game fish that travel the Bay. There is no
need to wait for a decision from the technical committee to initiate the action
we need. They have not made a final decision as yet and they say any limit on
the harvest might become effective in 2006. The cost estimate by the technical
committee is approximately $300,000 per year. They have recommended a two-year
pilot study, followed by long-term research, with the total cost estimated to be
$1,500,000. They also question whether studies should be in the Bay or part of a
broader coastal effort. It is easy to see how this could go on forever.
The exact abundance, distribution and biomass of this fishery
are not known and researchers say it will take five years to obtain a
"reasonable" estimate. What is known, however, are the concentrated efforts of
Omega Protein Co. to net (with lock-tight purse seines) the excessive tonnage
every year in the convenient and fertile lower bay in Virginia waters. How much
filtration is necessary and how many fish are needed to provide this figure?
These are finite answers not needed right now. We know the ability of Menhaden,
let them go work and supply these figures and at the same time filter the waters
they swim in.
Distinguished scholars with noted academic credentials have
written many papers on Mendaden, their filtering ability and value to do so.
They are far too numerous to even mention here and have been written for many
years. This is not a new subject to the fisheries management and scientific
research community. Their many papers include literature cited and references
listed that undeniably chronicle a "who's who" in fisheries biology. They
include estuarine research groups, graduate schools of oceanography, leading
universities, science foundations, federal administrations technical reports,
recognized journals of science, etc.
This wealth of available information was no small
contribution to the groundswell of public interest and action taken by concerned
citizens to utilize the in-place and highly effective menhaden fishery to help
rescue the Chesapeake Bay.
Postponing the action needed to save our Bay while an ASMFC
committee first tries to formulate a plan to count the menhaden population and
distribution of sizes, then attempts to carry it out is unacceptable. Not to act
now, not to go ahead based on the wealth of information available would be
absolutely criminal. East coast sportfishing has an enormous financial impact on
our economy. It supports thousands of jobs and is responsible for billions of
dollars in annual revenues, a substantial contribution to the economy of the
Atlantic coast. Compare this to Omega Protein company's value. You might want to
ask, what on earth has happened to the old adage, " the majority rules"?
We need action, not a diverting step-by-step process. In
addition, where will the money come from to amass the fortune needed to clean up
the Bay and when will it arrive? The Menhaden are here now. Remove the traps in
Virginia and let them swim up the Bay.
Jesse Maffuid, MSSA Menhaden Committee Member
Posted 4/16/05
MENHADEN ECONOMICS
It is well documented that the water quality in our Bay is poor and not
improving over the past few years. The basic problem is excessive nutrients
entering the Bay thru waste water treatment facilities, runoff from paved
surfaces and from agricultural activities. The means of correction lies in
preventing nutrients from entering the Bay and are equally well documented. The
lack of corrective action is at least in large part due to the enormous costs
that will be incurred to upgrade facilities, pay for altering farming practices
and other measures. Recently these costs were estimated to amount to 30 billion
dollars, spread over five States and Washington D.C.. Maryland and Virginia
bear the highest costs. Money is not currently available at either the State or
Federal level in amounts sufficient to make significant changes quickly. Note
that the Federal Budget, now under review, falls far short of the 1 billion
requested for Bay restoration in 2006 and that would be only 3% of the total
requirement.
Filtration is a key component of a corrective program. Oysters were a major
source of filtration capacity but are at historically low levels of abundance
and their future is uncertain. Menhaden are also filter feeders and their
abundance in the Bay is also at low levels. While the exact level of abundance
is not known and researchers say it will take five years of work to obtain a
reasonable estimate, it is generally accepted that Menhaden in Maryland waters
are far fewer than they used to be. Certainly one major factor is the
concentration of fishing effort in the Virginia water of the Bay. Omega Protein
removes upwards of 300 to 350 million pounds per year. These fish are processed
to yield fishmeal and oils (including Omega 3) whose market value is about 35
million dollars per year with a net profit of about 4 million per year.
In a 1998 study by Sarah Gottlieb at the University of Maryland, the value of
Menhaden as a filtration medium with a net removal of nitrogen was calculated to
be 50 times the value as input to the reduction fishery. The conclusion clearly
stated that the resource was not being utilized for its maximum economic value.
The cost for Bay restoration in 1998 was considerably less than the present
cost rendering the multiple of 50 to 1 as substantially understating the value,
now. While people can argue about the accuracy of the calculations, it is
impossible to misunderstand the conclusions. The costs for Bay restoration will
ultimately fall on the tax payers, and while utilizing Menhaden for filtration
rather than reducing them to meal and oils will not by itself solve the Bays
water quality problems they will be an effective part of the overall program.
There is no question that the tax payer's costs will be reduced.
It has been stated that closing down the Omega facility would be severely
disruptive to the economy of Northumberland County in Virginia which has been
described as "Economically Depressed". A publication by Virginia called Quick
Facts indicates that Northumberland County is at least better than average in
the state, economically, as measured by home ownership rate (87.4% vs. 68.1%),
median home value ($129,000 vs. $125,400), per capita income ($22,917 vs.
$23,975). Job losses, if the plant was closed, amount to about 200-250 people.
Biggest economic force in the area is Home Construction, largely for retirees,
or about to be retirees, from Washington, Richmond and Baltimore areas.
Development is hampered by lack of workers, so it would appear that employment
opportunities are available for many of those who would be displaced.
Arguments have been made that Menhaden fishing has been a way of life in
Reedville for over 100 years and is ingrained in the culture of the area. While
this is a fact, it is also a fact that Menhaden are a public resource and it is
essential that that resource be utilized for maximum benefit to the public.
There are 16 million citizens living in the Bay Watershed who should not be
held hostage by the operation at Reedville. The cap on the harvest proposed by
the Menhaden Management Board does not begin to address the need for Menhaden in
the Bay. Phasing out the reduction facility is the right course of action. It
should also be noted that the financial effect on Omega Protein has been
recognized and an offer made to compensate them for the loss of revenue.
It seems to me that the need for more Menhaden in the Bay is obvious. It is
equally apparent that it is in the best interest of the public that the Menhaden
fishing practices be changed substantially. Further, the economics favor
utilizing the filtration value of Menhaden over the rendering value. Finally,
there appears to be a willingness to deal with the financial effects on private
industry. All that remains to be done is for the ASMFC to take a more assertive
stance with regard to Menhaden regulation
Charles Hutchinson
Chairman
MSSA
Menhaden Committee
MENHADEN & MONEY
Menhaden is an important food source for Striped Bass, Sea Trout and other
species of fish. It is also one of the best filter feeders for cleaning our
waters. It is better known as a cash crop for the commercial fishing industry.
The largest commercial fishery on the East Coast is Omega Protein Corp. and its
cash crop is the Menhaden. By some, this fish is believed to be unimportant,
but this is Omega Protein's raw material for producing additives for animal
feed, fish oils for the food industry, and pharmaceutical products (fish oil
capsules) etc. Omega's sales for 2004 were $119.6 million with a profit of $3.2
million. $6 million was the average profit for the last four years. (NYSE
ticker symble is OME).
Omega utilized 66 fishing vessels and 32 spotter aircraft and leased additional
as needed in 2004. The total catch was 534,761 metric tons or 1.75 billion
menhaden. Of that, 99,300 tons or 326 million fish were harvested in the
Chesapeake Bay. Obviously we are talking about a large company with many
investors. One of Omega's key fishing grounds is in the Virginia waters of the
Chesapeake Bay. It has two facilities in Reedville, VA. One is a new Oil
Processing Facility used for refining the oils into various grades including
pharmaceutical grade. They also own plants in Louisiana and Mississippi.
Omega uses public resources i.e. state waters and menhaden with little or no
restrictions unlike a farmer that must buy or lease his land, buy seed and
fertilizer and cultivate his crop before harvesting it. Even under these
circumstances Omega will still do whatever it takes to keep Wall Street and its
investors happy. I don't think you will find large companies like Omega being
good stewards of our public water and our menhaden. Good examples of this is
the illegal netting and filleting of striped bass last Dec. in N.C. waters and
the illegal polluting of Omega at their Reedville plant. They are busy
worrying about the bottom line and staying competitive. There actually are
competitive products for the menhaden industry. And yes, even if all menhaden
fishing ceased to exist we would still have healthy livestock to slaughter, and
other sources of oil for use in food products and pharmaceutical products. We
humans would continue to exist.
At the Feb. meeting of the ASMFC (Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission)
in Alexandria VA, the organization know as Bay Truth made a $50 million offer
for Omega Protein to stay out of the Chesapeake Bay. This offer wouldn't shut
down Omega, only move them out of the Bay. As of April 2, this offer hasn't
been pursued by Omega. It's amazing that a company that made a profit of $3.2
million last year wouldn't be interested. Even at the average profit of $6
million over the past four years, it would take Omega 8 years to earn this kind
of money.
In the past few years, sport anglers, charter boat captains and scientists have
noticed the rapid decline in the health of several fish species in the Bay.
Many fish are malnourished and sick. It is very obvious that the lack of
menhaden in the bay is having a profound negative impact. This will begin to
affect a very lucrative industry. There are over 750,000 saltwater sport
fishermen in the states of Virginia & Maryland that have an estimated economic
impact of over $1 billion and support over 11,000 jobs. Only 3% of the fish
landed along our coasts are by sport anglers. Commercial operations are
responsible for the other 97%, yet sport fishing provides 9 times more economic
benefit.
It has been estimated that it will cost up to $30 billion to cleanup the
Chesapeake Bay. Talk of cleaning up the Bay is something you can read about in
your newspaper nearly every day. Yes, efforts have been made and monies spent,
but unfortunately with little impact. We have a Bay that is very polluted &
with starving and sick fish, yet the important menhaden is being heavily fished
by Omega Protein in the waters of our bay.
Doesn't it make sense to start controlling the harvest of menhaden in this
region to protect a one billion dollar sport angling industry and help defray
some of the expense of cleaning up the bay? It's time to stop protecting a
large Wall Street company and its investors that have no concerns for our Bay
and only have an interest in earning money. We have a choice, either protect
Omega's $6 million dollars profit, or move Omega out of our Bay. This would
allow some of the 326 million menhaden to nourish our fish, clean the water,
protect the one billion dollar Sport Angler's
industry and save taxpayers' money.
Dan Sides
Posted 3/29/05
MENHADEN - PAST AND PRESENT
My name is Chuck Prahl. I have lived on the Bay or it's
tributaries most of my life. From my earliest memories I have been a Fisherman
but also as I grew older a Charter Boat Captain, a waterman and in my later
years an outdoor writer.
I was in love with the Bay; my wife knows it was her only
rival. My feet were always in the water, ever aware of the aquatic life beneath
the surface and their dependence on each other.
One of the things that people my age can remember as kids
living near the Bay was sand floating on water. That's right, on any dry
morning before the wind got up a rising tide would float a thin layer of sand
off the beach. Surface tension was the reason but you won't see that any more
because the water now contains detergents.
I mention these things to impress on you that I was well
aware of the changes that have taken place in the Bay over time.
One of the things that even a layman could readily see, was
the great numbers of Menhaden ( we often call them, mistakenly, alewives ), that
were readily visible in the Bay. Menhaden, unlike most marine life are easily
detected by their tendency to swim in tight schools on the surface. They are
plankton feeders which mean they filer tiny plants and animals from the water
through gillrakers. In the not too distant past even an untrained eye could
easily detect the tremendous abundance of this important forage fish.
Old timers like myself think it a no brainier when asked how
we know the Menhaden are in danger and depleted. They simply do not show
themselves. I am continually on watch for schools in the big Choptank and open
bay. They are almost nonexistent.
With Menhaden absent, Rockfish, Trout and Bluefish are
forced to feed on less nutritious forage. The Blue Crab and Anchovies are
taking a big hit in the absence of Menhaden. These less protein rich sources of
food are not growing healthy Rockfish. Recent studies indicate that 70% of the
stripers in the Bay are infected with mycobacteriosis, a disease that
proliferates through population stressed by insufficient protein.
The sport fish in the Bay are heading for a crash. Along
with their demise goes a whole Charter boat industry. Remember, Rockfish are
the driving force regionally for the Charter boat industry but a large
percentage of the recreational fishing in the Bay area, as well as a great
portion of all the sport fish and tourism industries depend on a healthy Striper
fishery. Menhaden have been managed for two specific industries, reduction and
to a lesser extent, bait. In my estimation those uses are the least important
of their total value.
The predator species in the Chesapeake are dependent on the
adequate abundance of Menhaden. The present population of the Striped Bass can
not be sustained without a substantial increase in Menhaden.
Dr. Anthony Overton has done a study of the Menhaden needs
for the total Stripped bass population in the Bay. He finds that they consume
approximately 98,500,000 lbs. per year. The industrial catch of Menhaden is
about 330,000,000 lbs. Is it any surprise that our rockfish are starving? We
can grow Rockfish but without help we cannot feed them.
I would like to point up one other fact that I have not
encountered in any debate for the protection of Menhaden in the Chesapeake.
Starting with the hurricane " Agnes " in the early 70's Rockfish started a
steady decline. By 1985 they had been reduced to almost an endangered species
and a moratorium was imposed in Maryland. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries
Commission imposed an austere reduction in catch throughout the Mid-Atlantic and
Northeastern States.
During this period Menhaden lost their greatest natural
enemy ( Rockfish ). It was a time when Bluefish and Trout tried to fill the
void, but no fish was more adept at feeding on Menhaden than the Striper.
Menhaden showed no major signs of scarcity during that
period even though the reduction business was beginning to concentrate in the
lower Chesapeake. During this period most states on the Atlantic coast outlawed
purse seining Menhaden for the reduction industry. In the mean time, Rockfish
were being restored to near their former abundance. As to these two scenarios
converged in the 90's, the striped bass found themselves lots of company but
nothing to eat. This is where we find ourselves today.
Chuck Prahl
MSSA Menhaden Committee
Common Sense and Chesapeake Bay Water Quality
by Clint Waters
Webster defines common sense as sound, practical sense
and normal intelligence. The Chesapeake Bay estuary has been defined as a
national treasure and is the largest estuary in the United States. The land
mark Clean Water Act, passed in 1972, has been one of the cornerstones to hold
polluters of the Chesapeake Bay accountable. The Act requires sewage treatment
plants ( STP ) and industrial facilities seeking to spew pollution into the Bay
and its tributaries to first obtain a permit from the EPA or a state
environmental agency. Then comes the Chesapeake 2000 Agreement, a strategic
plan to achieve a vision for the future of the Chesapeake Bay. A vision that
includes abundant, diverse populations of living resources, fed by healthy
streams and rivers, sustaining strong local and regional economies and our
unique quality of life. With all these legislative acts in place to help clean
up the Bay, one would think that water quality should be improving. However,
our national treasure is turning into a pollution disgrace. Common sense has
got to start taking place, for whatever we are doing or not doing, isn't
working. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation ( CBF ) is the watchdog for the
Chesapeake Bay and it's water quality. CBF doesn't give us a very rosy report
on the water quality of the Bay. CBF reports that decades of uncontrolled
nitrogen pollution entering the Chesapeake Bay and its rivers have fueled dead
zones and harmful algae blooms that stress and kill fish, shellfish beds and bay
grasses and beach closures are now yearly events with no sign of abating.
Although the Bay watershed is a complex ecosystem, the solution by our so-called
experts is fairly simple: reduce pollution from the two main resources - sewage
treatment plants and agricultural runoff. Experts tell us this may be a simple
solution. However, common sense and facts tell us it's not working.
In 2004, 35 percent of the Chesapeake Bay was considered
a dead zone. This means a little over one-third of the Chesapeake Bay was so
depleted of oxygen that fish and shellfish could not breathe or live in these
areas. Common sense tells me this is unacceptable and our national treasure is
dying.
We are spending millions upon millions of dollars on
research on our shellfish and oysters and clams are at historic lows. Common
sense again tells us what we are doing isn't working to give us better water
quality. We have no natural filter systems in place left in the Chesapeake
Bay. As stated, our natural filter feeders, oysters and clams, are at historic
lows. The only natural filter feeder we have left is a fish called " Menhaden
". Now the Bay area is being depleted of Menhaden. Common sense tells me that,
with all the millions of taxpayers' dollars spent year after year and nothing is
improving water quality, we need to take a better look at things. Even if we
start reducing pollution entering the Bay, there is nothing left naturally to
filter out these pollutants.
Menhaden is not the complete answer but it's the one
natural filter feeder that will not cost the taxpayer millions of dollars to
replace. Menhaden in proven studies show that they are more important to the
Bay's water quality as a filter feeder than as a product of a reduction industry
for fertilizer, cat and dog food, cosmetic and medical supplements.
Studies show that an historic supply of Menhaden in the
Bay could filter every gallon of water in a couple of days. It's going to take
years and millions of dollars to get the oysters back to a position to provide
as a natural water filter feeder to help water quality and then that's no
guarantee that they will recover. ASMFC has proposed a cap on taking Menhaden
out of the Bay, but that may not happen either.
If Menhaden are so important in helping the Chesapeake
Bay as a natural filter feeder to improve water quality, then common sense tells
me that we must stop depleting the Bay of this filter feeder. We need to get
our officials and agencies that are spending our taxpayers' dollars with no
apparent results to give the Menhaden a chance to replenish themselves naturally
and that will not cost taxpayers anything. Even the cap proposed on Menhaden by
ASMFC, I feel, will not be enough to start saving the Bay's water quality.
Common sense must come into play to help save the Bay and
improve water quality; so stop depleting the Chesapeake Bay of Menhaden and give
these wonderful natural filter feeders a chance to do their job as nature has
developed them to do.
Clint Waters
President of Dorchester County Chapter of the MSSA
Posted 3/21/05
HOW GOOD IS THE MENHADEN BUSINESS?
Last week Omega Protein
released its 2004 Annual Report. Net profits were reported to be $3,200,000
compared to $5,300,000 for 2003 and $12,000,000 for 2002. Revenues were
essentially unchanged in 2004 from 2003. According to the annual report the
reduced earnings were primarily due to a reduction in quantity of fish harvested
in the
Gulf of Mexico and a lower oil content. The shortfall in
volume was reported to be 18% below expectations. Currently year end reports
for 2004 put landings at Reedville and Beaufort combined at 11% higher than in
2003. Apparently Reedville is increasingly important to Omega’s overall
results. Also of interest was a sharp sell off of Omega’s stock immediately
after the release of financial reports, with volumes nearly 10 times the average
traded and at a price about 35% below it’s peak for the past 12 months.
In the report Omega makes note of the
proposed cap on Atlantic Menhaden harvest by ASMFC and indicated that the
regulation, if passed, would have no material effect on their operations.
All of the above suggests that
the profitability of Omegas operations is declining and that despite its
marketing efforts with Omega 3 oil, the trend is not a good one. Given the
above, one wonders why no interest has been shown in the cash offer made to take
them out of the business in the
Chesapeake Bay . Has the business in the Gulf gotten so
bad that the Company’s future is largely or completely dependant on Reedville?
New information suggests that
the Atlantic Menhaden stock has been overfished to the point that consideration
has been given to petitioning both State and Federal Government
to list the
species as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Should that happen,
there would follow a requirement for more stringent management measures. The
ASMFC would probably take action to place a total allowable cap on the coastwise
stock, affecting both the reduction and bait fisheries. It certainly would
appear to be prudent to institute a substantial decrease in harvest levels to
allow stocks to be rebuilt.
While much of the circumstances
behind continued poor recruitment of Menhaden to the
Chesapeake
and about stock levels are speculative, it certainly appears that financially
the Menhaden fishery is not a comfortable place to be at this time.
Charles
Hutchinson
Chairman Menhaden Committee
MD. Saltwater
Sportsfishermens Assoc
Menhaden Matter
Menhaden Action Alert
Prey of popular game fish
harvested for Omega-3 oils
By MOLLY MURRAY
Sussex Bureau reporter
http://www.DelawareOnline.com
The News Journal
Important Menhaden Links
