Fertilizer, lamp oil, lipstick, chicken feed and 

 margarine — an unlikely combination of products, 

 but all derived from the same source. Menhaden. 



This bony, oily fish fertilized Pilgrim farm- 



land. And since those times, the nation's largest 

 fishery has seen a lot of change. Oil is no longer 

 extracted from the fish in boiling kettles. Purse 

 seines replaced gill nets and haul seines. Steel, 

 diesel-powered vessels ply the same waters once 

 fished by wooden schooners and steamers. Power 

 blocks and winches replaced the muscle and the 

 song of man. 



But the menhaden can't always be found in the 

 same huge numbers they once were. Some say 

 North Carolina fishermen are catching too many 

 small menhaden. But North Carolina processors 

 are worried that strict regulations may put them 

 out of business. 



This month, Coastwatch takes a look at the 

 menhaden fishery in North Carolina. 



Menhaden today. Pogies, 

 mossbunkers, bunkers, ale- 

 wives, whitefish, bonyfish, 

 fatbacks and shad to those 

 who have fished for 

 menhaden from Maine to 

 Florida during the fishery's 

 300-year history. 



Menhaden have collected 

 more than 30 common 

 names. In North Carolina, 



they've most often been known as fatbacks, shad and 

 pogies. Scientifically, their names are Brevoortia 

 tyrannus, the Atlantic menhaden, or Brevoortia 

 patronus, the Gulf menhaden (the two species sought 

 by fishermen). But no matter what you call them, all the 

 names apply to the same bony, oily fish. 



In a book written a century ago, George Goode aptly 

 described the menhaden's ecological niche: "It is not 

 hard to surmise the menhaden's place in nature: swarm- 

 ing our waters in countless myriads, swimming in closely- 

 packed unwieldly masses, helpless as flocks of sheep, 

 close to the surface and at the mercy of any enemy, 

 destitute of means of defense or offense, their mission is 

 unmistakably to be eaten." 



Sharks, whales, striped bass, bluefish and countless 

 other fish seek out the menhaden for their next meal. 

 Bluefish slash and kill thousands of fish in a single, ruth- 

 less attack. Occasionally, bluefish will chase schools of 

 menhaden into shallow surf, where they become strand- 

 ed and die on the beach. And schooling, the menhaden's 

 one defense against natural enemies, is their undoing 

 with fishermen. 



Bunker Biology 



With so many predators, 

 how does the menhaden 

 survive? Prolific reproduc- 

 tion. An individual female 

 may spawn from 40,000 to 

 700,000 eggs each year. 



Along the mid-Atlantic, 

 the spawning occurs in late 

 fall and winter over the 

 continental shelf. Once the 

 eggs are fertilized and 

 hatched, currents sweep the young menhaden to the es- 

 tuary. Juvenile menhaden spend about eight months in 

 the estuary before leaving in the fall. 



From May to October, Atlantic menhaden one year 

 old and older are stratified by age and size along the 

 Atlantic Coast. The older and larger fish are found in 

 northern waters, v/hile the younger, smaller fish remain 

 to the south. 



As fall approaches, the larger menhaden begin a 

 southward migration that culminates in the congregation 

 of all fish south of Cape Hatteras by early winter. In late 

 December or early January, the schools disappear. It is 

 uncertain where the menhaden overwinter, but many 

 scientists believe it's in deeper, more offshore waters. 



As filter feeders, menhaden swim with their mouths 

 agape, swallowing tiny organisms in the water. These fish 

 have no teeth. An angler could cast all day in a school of 

 menhaden without a single nibble. 



By feeding itself, menhaden frequently feed a crab-like 

 parasite, which makes its home in the menhaden's 

 mouth. Fishermen call the parasites "bugs"; hence the 

 name bugfish has joined the list of menhaden names. 



