1999 

 OUR LIVING OCEANS 



Landings have been relatively stable in recent years 

 at about 300,000 t. While spawning stock biom- 

 ass recently peaked in l')')7 at about 89,000 t, re- 

 cruitment of 1 -year-old fish has declined over the 

 last decade to recent lows (Cadrin and Vaughan, 

 1997). The commercial ex-vessel revenue ot At- 

 lantic menhaden tor 1994—97 averaged $41 .7 mil- 

 lion/year. In 1998, two menhaden reduction or 

 processing plants were in operation, one in 

 Reedviile, Va., and one in Beaulort, N.C.; the in- 

 dustrial purse-seine fleet was comprised ot about 

 1 5 vessels. 



The stock decline in the 196()'s drove fishing 

 effort southward to Virginia and North C^arolina 

 where menhaden are generally vounger and smaller 

 than those in the north. Overutilization owing to 

 growth overfishing (catching too many fish be- 

 fore they grow to full size) has been a prime man- 

 agement concern for this stock. While maximum 

 spawning potential estimates have been low (10%), 

 estimates ot spawnmg stock bioniass have re- 

 bounded from the very low levels ot 1965—75, al- 

 though not to the very high level ot the late 1950's. 

 A new fishery management plan was adopted by 

 the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission 

 in September 1992 which provided for an annual 

 review of six trigger variables (landings in weight, 

 percentage ot age and .idiilts in numbers in the 

 landings, new recruits aged 1 year old, spawning 

 stock biomass, and maximum spawning potential) 

 (Atlantic Menhaden Advisory Committee, 1 992) . 

 Exceeding prespeciticd levels ot trigger variables 

 in conjunction wuh ancillary information will de- 

 termine the need for specific management actions. 



Aerial photos of an excep- 

 tionally large purse seine 

 set. 



1950's and early 1960's, dropped precipitously 

 during the mid 1960s, and remained low, bot- 

 toming out at 1 6 1 ,600 t in 1 969. Since 1 970, land- 

 ings have improved but not to the levels ot the 

 late 1 950's. Landings peaked in 1 983 at 4 1 8,600 t. 



Gulf of Mexico Menhaden 



(iult menhaden are found from Mexico's 

 Yucatan Peninsula to lanipa Bav, Fla. Ihev form 

 large surface schools that appeat in nearshore Culf 



Table 10-1 



Productivity in metric tons 

 and status of Southeast Re- 

 gion menhaden fishery re- 

 sources. 



1 40 



