Menhaden 293 



Menhaden 

 Brevoortia tyrannus (Latrobe) 



Color: Color of upper surface of body variable, ranging 

 from green to blue, blue-gray, or brownish blue. Sides and 

 belly silvery. Large dark spot behind upper margin of gill 

 cover followed by several dark spots arranged in irregular 

 rows. 



Distribution: Nova Scotia to eastern Florida. 

 Size: Maximum length reported is 20 inches. 

 General Information: Common near shore. Often seen 

 near the surface of the water in large schools comprising 

 thousands of fish. Spawning occurs in the sea, from June 

 to August in the northern part of its range and in late 

 autumn and winter in the southern part of its range. The 

 eggs are buoyant and develop rapidly, usually hatching in 

 less than 48 hours. The Menhaden feeds chiefly on micro- 

 scopic plants and small crustaceans, which it sifts out of 

 the water by means of highly specialized, comb-like gill 

 rakers. 



Economic Importance: The Menhaden is an extremely oily 

 fish of little value as food. It is, however, the most im- 

 portant industrial fish now caught in the United States. In 

 recent years over 1 billion pounds of Menhaden have been 

 caught each year for conversion into fish meal and oil. 

 This species is also a favorite food of other fishes, and it 

 is frequently used in the recreational fisheries as a chum 

 to attract game fishes or as a bait. 



