Yellowfin menhaden 



Brevoortia smithi 

 Adult 



5 cm 



(from Fischer 1978) 



Common Name: yellowfin menhaden 



Scientific Name: Brevoortia smithi 



Other Common Names: yellowfin shad (Hildebrand 



1963), yellowtail (Reintjes 1969), Atlantic finescale 



(Gunter and Hall 1963), menhaden jaune (French), 



lacha amarilla (Spanish) (Fischer 1978). 



Classification (Robins et al. 1991) 



Phylum: Chordata 



Class: Osteichthyes 



Order: Clupeiformes 



Family: Clupeidae 



Value 



Commercial : Separate commercial harvest statistics 

 are not reported forthis species (Fishcher 1 978). It co- 

 occurs with gulf menhaden, but is not abundant enough 

 to contribute appreciably to the commercial menhaden 

 catch (Dahlberg 1970, Hettler 1984). In some areas it 

 was historically separated from the rest of the catch 

 because it was considered to have superior flavor 

 compared to other menhaden, and marketed fresh in 

 some local markets (Hildebrand 1963, Fischer 1978). 

 It is not specifically sought by any commercial fishery; 

 however, it is harvested as crab bait on both coasts of 

 Florida (Ahrenholz 1991, Hettler pers. comm.). 



Recreational : Menhaden are not sought by sport fish- 

 ermen as they are filter-feeders and are not caught by 

 hook and line. However, they are important forage fish 

 for many game species, and are often used as bait 

 (Hildebrand 1963, Simmons and Breuer 1964). 



Indicator of Environmental Stress : The yellowfin men- 

 haden is not well studied due to its low abundance and 

 lack of importance as a commercial species (Ahrenholz 

 1991). 



Ecological : Menhaden serve as an important link in the 

 food chain between primary producers, phytoplankton 

 and detritus, and top predators. They are extremely 

 important forage fish for a variety of piscivorous birds 

 and fish (Gunter and Christmas 1960, Palmer 1962, 

 Christmas et al. 1 988). They are also important in the 

 translocation of energy between estuarine and off- 

 shore ecosystems (Deegan 1985). 



Range 



Overall : The yellowfin menhaden is found from 

 Chandeleur Sound, Louisiana eastward and south- 

 ward to Caloosahatchee River, Florida with distribution 

 continuous around Florida to as far north as Cape 

 Lookout, North Carolina (Dahlberg 1 970, Christmas et 

 al. 1983, Hettler 1984, Vaughan 1991). Yellowfin 

 menhaden on each side of the Florida peninsula are 

 probably members of genetically separate populations 

 (Ahrenholz 1 991 ). Levi (1 973) reported the collection 

 of this species off Grand Bahama Island. 



Within Study Area : Within U.S. Gulf of Mexico estuar- 

 ies, this species has been reported from Chandeleur 

 Sound, Louisiana to Florida Bay, Florida (Dahlberg 

 1970) (Table 5.18). 



Life Mode 



Yellowfin menhaden are a euryhaline species, inhab- 

 iting coastal and tidal waters (Vaughan 1991). They 

 are an estuarine dependent, marine migratory species 

 (Ahrenholz 1991). Eggs and larvae of yellowfin men- 

 haden are planktonic (Hettler 1968). Juvenile and 

 adults are pelagic (Dahlberg 1970) and aggregate in 

 loosely scattered schools (Reintjes 1960). These 

 schools are typically much smaller in size than those of 

 other menhaden species (Dahlberg 1970). 



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