CCA Asks Anglers to Voice Opinions on Menhaden Management

     Commentary provided by the Coastal Conservation Association of Maryland
     Annapolis, Md. -- As recreational fishermen and stewards of our resources, we must educate ourselves on not only the fish we pursue, but also the ecosystem in which they live. There is nothing more integral to the health of our fisheries than the menhaden. We don’t pursue them as a sport fish, but they deserve a great deal of our attention. Menhaden literally turn the sun’s energy into protein by grazing on small organisms that convert the sun’s energy to cellulose. Menhaden then convert that energy to protein by becoming a major food item for every predatory fish, bird, and mammal in the Atlantic. The most important attribute of menhaden is their sheer abundance. That abundance has faded and now menhaden are at the lowest population ever recorded.
     In response to the upcoming menhaden management meetings being conducted by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC), CCA has produced an Angler’s Guide to Menhaden as a teaching tool for fisherman up and down the coast. We encourage everyone to read the full guide. Some key points to understand are listed below.
     Management options have been put forth by ASMFC. Key to the options is the reference points. Reference points are the guideposts managers use to determine the health of any stock. The Board is proposing to use % Maximum Spawning Potential (%MSP) for this purpose. Currently the stock is thought to be at about 8% MSP, or about 8% of what an unfished stock would have.
    There are two parts to any reference point, simply because there is a lot of uncertainty with both the calculation of the status of the stock and the management of the stock. The first reference point is the “threshold” -- the “line in the sand” that managers do not want to exceed, for if it is, overfishing will occur and the stock could become overfished. If they managed right to the threshold, there is a strong likelihood that this line in the sand would be exceeded due to the uncertainties in the data. Thus, the second reference point, the “target,” is a number more conservative than the threshold. Managers set harvest levels at the target to create a buffer and assure that fishing does not exceed the threshold.
There are essentially 3 options for management:
Change the management threshold, which is the maximum amount of fishing mortality allowed. This would become the overfishing limit.
Change the management target to one that is more conservative. This is the target that provides a buffer to not exceed the overfishing limit.
Adopt a suite of management tools that allow managers to constrain harvest to the management target.
     To view all of the options, please go to Page 8 of the guide. CCA commented on each option. A quick summary of CCA’s position is detailed below.
     With regard to Thresholds, CCA supports Option 2: 15% MSP as an F threshold as an interim threshold for menhaden management. This management measure, which we still view as the lowest acceptable threshold, could increase spawning stock by nearly 130% in a few years.
     With regard to the Targets, we acknowledge the uncertainty surrounding menhaden management and recruitment. However, given the importance of this keystone prey species to the Atlantic ecosystem, CCA believes that the 40% MSP option represents the greatest degree of assurance toward achieving the ultimate goal of restoring menhaden to fulfill its ecological role as a primary forage base. We recognize that many factors and obstacles are at play in this fishery but we support this option and urge managers to focus on the scientific and biological grounds for its adoption.
     The 30% MSP option is double the preferred threshold and is much more risk-averse than the current status quo of 20% MSP. 30% MSP is the appropriate proxy for the proper management of a stock without a well defined spawner-recruit relationship, as in the case of menhaden. With the uncertainty surrounding menhaden management and recruitment, we believe simple common sense dictates that this option should be the minimum acceptable target MSP. CCA supports this option as a minimum level of protection for Atlantic menhaden, but would prefer more scientifically conservative options.

How To Act:
     In Maryland, our ASMFC commissioners are on board with CCA’s goals for menhaden management. We suggest sending an email thanking them for their support. We also need to let them know that they have our backing on this critical issue. It will be much easier for Maryland commissioners to stay the course if they know there are thousands on Maryland anglers standing shoulder to shoulder with them in this fight. Please email them today. Say thank you, and let them know we support them in their efforts.
Tom O'Connell: TOCONNELL@dnr.state.md.us
Bill Goldsborough: BGoldsborough@cbf.org
Richard Colburn richard_colburn@senate.state.md.us
Your voice can also be heard by attending the Public Hearing on October 11: ASMFC Public Hearing on Draft Addendum V to Amendment 1 to the Interstate Fishery Management for Atlantic Menhaden, Maryland Dept. of Natural Resources, Tawes State Office Building, C1 Conference Room, 580 Taylor Avenue, Annapolis, Maryland. (7pm)