NCMC's "Save the Stripers" campaign update

NCMC attended the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) Menhaden Stock Assessment last July. We also attended the Menhaden Technical Committee's review of the stock assessment in early September. Then, on October 6-7, we participated in the independent Peer Review of the assessment.

As predicted, the stock assessment concluded that menhaden are not overfished and that overfishing is not occurring. That's because the assessment doesn't address whether there is an adequate supply of menhaden to support robust populations of striped bass and numerous other predators. Neither does it address whether overfishing is occurring within Chesapeake Bay. It considers only whether the coastwide stock is of a size capable of providing the maximum sustainable yield to the commercial reduction fishery.

At the Peer Review in October, NCMC successfully argued for the review panel to explicitly note that the stock assessment does not address concerns about adequate forage for stripers and other predators. Because the assessment does make some reference to ecological concerns, we wanted it crystal clear to fishery managers that the assessment's conclusion that menhaden are not overfished has no bearing on these concerns. Indeed, the final Peer Review Report expresses "frustration with the lack of ecosystem-based information in the stock assessment. In particular. . .while the stock assessment tracked status on a coastwide basis it would not detect localized depletion and reduced ecological function that could occur when the fishery is concentrated in one part of the coast."

NCMC president Ken Hinman, as a member of the ASMFC Menhaden Advisory Panel, participated in that panel's meeting on October 29th. After reviewing the stock assessment and peer review, and discussing continuing concerns about overfishing of menhaden, the advisors noted that the assessment failed to consider or address three key concerns: adequacy of menhaden population as forage; localized depletion; and the value of menhaden as filter feeders. The panel is recommending to the ASMFC that it specify clear goals and objectives for addressing these concerns in an amendment to the Menhaden Fishery Management Plan.

NCMC is submitting a menhaden conservation proposal, including suggested amendments to the Menhaden FMP, in advance of the ASMFC's meeting in December. We will attend that meeting to present our petition and to ask the commission to begin the process of amending the FMP.

Click here to read NCMC President Ken Hinman's menhaden article, as seen in Salt Water Sportsman's December 2003 issue:

http://striped-bass-menhaden-list.c.tep1.com/maabF0Jaa2fV2a7SXzFb/

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If you haven't already signed NCMC's petition to ban industrial-scale menhaden fishing in the Chesapeake Bay, please do so here: http://striped-bass-menhaden-list.c.tep1.com/maabF0Jaa2fXWa7SXzFb/ to help protect the stripers' food supply. Please also consider making a donation, $5 and $10 helps a great deal! Your financial support is crucial to our success. You can do so on the petition page, which operates on our secure server so all credit card information is protected.

Thank you!

This information is provided by the National Coalition for Marine Conservation.
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