East Coast Anglers Demand Positive ASMFC action!

As a local NJ fishing guide and the founder of Menhaden Defenders.org and I have been presenting to fishing clubs about the commercial over exploitation of Atlantic Menhaden, which we call Bunker. I have spoken with dozens of concerned anglers, but the ones that have affected me the most have been the guys that fish New England and Chesapeake waters and both are reporting that there are simply no bunker left inshore.
Over the past few seasons, there are less adult sized fish and few if any peanut bunker schools each fall. In the Chesapeake Bay area, they have fewer bass to catch and when caught, bass are small and malnourished, and consider themselves lucky to catch a bluefish over a pound.
NY & NJ anglers have been fortunate, enjoying relatively great fishing but we need to pay attention to our brothers in to the North and South because. Locally, we are seeing the school sizes decrease and the bunker are getting smaller, and there are fewer older, larger bunker each year.
Springtime fishing for migratory brood stock striped bass has been has been nothing short of fantastic, however this is very deceptive. The past few seasons of our fall striped bass fishing tell the real story, which is triggered by the young menhaden of the year, or “peanut bunkers”, migrating out of the backwaters.

These peanuts have been virtually nonexistent and the fantastic fall striper fishing has vaporized along with it.

It is clear to thousands of anglers fishing, from Maine to Florida that the indiscriminate industrialized removal of the bunker is happening on a daily basis and nobody is doing anything about it. Many are witnessing “localized depletion” and all of us are hoping that the ASMFC will vote in favor of the ecosystem instead of bending to commercial interests..
Here in NJ, right before our eyes we watch the planes fly over and direct the boats to move in and scoop up thousands of bunker. The bunker are taken away day after day which causes our Stripers, Bluefish and other game fish move off.
Out of sight and past the three mile mark, out in the EEZ, very large carrier type vessels that used to be part of the Atlantic Herring fleet have shifted species, moved south and joined the carnage. They have run out of Sea Herring to catch for the lobster bait so now the focus is on bunker, the next bait fish available. Over 80% of all of the bait purchased by Massachusetts bait dealers is taken from waters off of New Jersey.
Add this growing demand to the 200,000 metric tons of bunker vacuumed up annually by Omega protein for fish meal and fish oil purposes. Omega’s net set maps show that they are busy just south east of Sandy Hook and all along the offshore areas of New Jersey.

Our offshore waters have become the number one hotspot for vacuuming up all the adult, spawning age bunker that they can fit into there hulls. We realize that the ASMFC governs only state waters, but we implore them to advise NOAA to implement better observation and collect complete data on landings from the EEZ.
Both these sectors target large adult fish, the same fish that we rely on to provide the young that migrate into our back bay nursery areas and provide food for dozens of smaller and or immature species.
Keep in mind that this is not about the traditional, small scale cast net operations that provide bait to tackle shops and to recreational fisherman, this is about the multi million dollar business of providing for Lobster bait and the Reduction Industry.
The combination of Omega Proteins tonnage and the Lobster bait boom is proving to be a lethal blow to nature and the ASMFC’s own study team data proves it. The bunker population is at the lowest level in thirty years and NOW is the right time for positive action.
Understand that we as a group are not advocating to create hardship for the commercial fisherman that rely on the fish to earn a living. We seek MODERATION and an end to the sustained industrial over exploitation has landed us where we are today.
Collectively, we cannot allow selfish big business interests to continue to strip mine our waters at the current pace with complete and total disregard for all that depend on a healthy ecosystem.
By allowing more adult, spawning age fish to remain in the waters we position ourselves to benefit to the maximum if nature provides the correct conditions during spawn time. More menhaden in the water will simultaneously benefit the ecosystem and all user groups with just a few smart decisions by the ASMFC, starting with the 2012 season.

Be sure to visit http://www.menhadendefenders.org/ before Nov 2 and follow the "take Action" click thru to submit your comment card to the ASMFC directly.

Act Now!

9/7/11 Local anglers to support a cap on Atlantic Menhaden fishing

Mission: Restoration of the mid-Atlantic food chain

Beachgoers near Asbury Park experienced a rare marine spectacle this July: a family of humpback whales feeding less than 200 yards offshore. As the whales jumped into the air, they sprayed foot-long fish in every direction, gulping to catch as many as possible in their mouths. In between the “Oohs” and “Ahhhs,” onlookers inevitably began to ask, “What fish are the whales feeding on?”

Few aside from the local anglers knew the answer: menhaden, also known as “bunker.” Much like herring, bunker swim in large schools, feeding on such microorganisms as copepods and plankton. The whales alternated between casual filter feeding on the reddish-colored mats of plankton and then, when the time was right, lunging mouthfuls of bunkers. Over the course of three days, the delicate marine food chain depleted itself. The humpback whales and the onlookers disappeared.

Listed as “endangered” in the United States, the humpback whale feeds on a fish that is, itself, in decline as a result of commercial overfishing. The question we then need to ask is, “If there were no bunker, what would the whales eat?” By extension, what would the bluefish, osprey, seals,striped bass, tuna and other wildlife eat? As recreational fishermen, particularly striped bass anglers, have long known, all of these species feed regularly on bunker, one of the primary ocean forage fish.

Two commercial sectors fish for menhaden. The commercial “reduction” industry lands 80% of all menhaden. One company dominates the market: Omega Protein Corporation, based out of Texas and Virginia. Each year, Omega fishes 200,000 metric tons of menhaden from mid-Atlantic waters. They “reduce,” or grind up the fish which they market internationally as fish meal and omega-3 fish oil—all for profit.

Bunker fishmeal and oil provide a protein boost in human and pet food chains. When used as feed in aquaculture, which currently supplies 60 percent of the fish we eat, bunker fish meal and oils help move fish to market faster. When used in dog and cat food, these products enhance omega-3 levels for a fraction of the cost of using whole or sustainably harvested fish.

The remaining 20 percent of the total Atlantic menhaden catch is attributed to the New England bait fishery, which provides menhaden for the huge lobster fishery that spans several states. Over the course of the last decade, the Atlantic herring fishery in New England has been depleted, forcing lobstermen to seek another source of bait.

Traditionally, small vessels have been used to collect menhaden for the recreational fishing, and commercial crab and lobster markets. These small vessels are now being accompanied by larger carrier vessels ( photo above), to optimize and increase daily catches to unprecedented levels.

As a result of the overexploitation of menhaden by the reduction fishery, and increased use of menhaden by the bait industry, fishermen along the Atlantic coast are witnessing localized depletion of menhaden and the gamefish that depend on them.

To this day, fishing operations face no limit or “cap” on the amount of bunker they can remove from the ocean. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC), the governing body charged with managing fishery resources, announced in March that “the Atlantic menhaden is not overfished and overfishing is occurring.”

Marine biologists use the term “overfishing” to describe the situation when fish are being taken out of the ecosystem faster than nature can replace them. Additionally, they state that 32 out of the past 54 years of the commercial fishery, overfishing has been occurring. It’s no mistake that the public doesn’t have a clue as to what is going on, but this is about to change.

The time to act is now. For the first time in the history of this commercial fishery, the ASMFC is taking public comment on a Draft Addendum that “proposes establishing a new interim fishing mortality threshold and target (based on maximum spawning potential or MSP) with the goal of increasing abundance, spawning stock biomass, and menhaden availability as a forage species.” In short, the ASMFC will put teeth in the effort to end overfishing and return menhaden stocks to healthy levels.

We have until November 2 to make our voices heard.

Please visit our website www.menhadendefenders.org to learn more and send your comments to the ASMFC.

It’s up to the recreational angling community to get together and turn around the decline.

Tight lines,
Capt Paul Eidman
Menhaden Defenders

Battle over Bunkers: Anglers call to Action

Fishing from my boat or on the beach, I see and hear the spotter planes buzz overhead, directing all the Menhaden (bunker) boats where to set their nets. April through November, Monday through Friday, sunup to sundown, the netting continues without any catch or quota limit.
It is clear to everyone that fishes these waters that when the bunkers are here the fishing is fantastic, and then after just a few days of netting an area, all the bunkers are gone and so are the gamefish. For years we watched this happening, yet nobody is doing anything to stop it. Menhaden have simply fallen off the radar and the commercial companies know it.
Be it in state waters or offshore, bunker schools along the Atlantic coast are being decimated by commercial fisherman as if there was an infinite supply of fish. They fish with complete disregard for the recreational fisherman, related fishing businesses or the environment. The market demand for fish meal and fish oil is exploding worldwide, and the boats are getting bigger and more facilities are being built to keep up with the demand.

Commercial lobstermen have simply run out of Herring in New England and now the focus has turned to bunker with no end in sight.
Just about every predator that lives in, on or near the water feeds on these fish at some stage.

In the fall, anglers rely on the vast schools of this years young (peanut bunkers) to move out of the back waters and migrate down the shoreline. This mass movement triggers the normally fantastic fall fishing season that we all have come to treasure. Striped bass, tuna, bluefish, weakfish all gorge themselves in preparation for the long winter ahead. For the past three years, we have watched these schools VANISH before our eyes and our normally fantastic fall fishery is going with it.
Industry spokesman continue to spew lies to the public and clientele about the sustainability of the resource and how “ocean friendly” there fishing methods are. If this is so true, then why are all the baby bunkers gone?
Recreational anglers are fed up with being treated like second rate citizens and must band together as one to take on greedy commercial interests. The upcoming ASMFC vote November to recognize these important fish is critical. The public comment period will open around Sept. 1
We all need to make sure that the ASMFC adopts measures that keep the maximum amount of the mature, egg laden menhaden in our waters to insure the future of the Menhaden and in turn the future of our fishery. The exploitation of these vital fish must end now!

Capt. Paul Eidman

www.menhadendefenders.org