fixed. Even if there is no fishing, the 

 companies would have to pay those 

 costs. 



North Carolina fishermen oppose 

 the recommended shortened season. 

 Here, the season is divided into the 

 summer fishery and the fall fishery. 

 Beginning in late November or early 

 December, large schools of menhaden 

 migrate south and gather off the North 

 Carolina coast, concentrating in 

 December (see biology story, page 2). 

 North Carolina is the only state with a 

 fall fishery. In the past, the December 



and January catches have accounted 

 for a large portion of the annual 

 catches. But recently, most of the 

 catches have been composed of 

 "peanuts," menhaden less than six in- 

 ches. Fisheries biologists are concerned 

 that not enough small fish will reach 

 the spawning age. 



Billy Tickle, general manager of Sea 

 and Sound Processing Company in 

 Beaufort, says the industry is already 

 economically shaky and a shorter 

 season would mean disaster for his 

 company. "It would destroy us down 



here. There have been a lot of years 

 when there wasn't any fishing until the 

 fifteenth of December." 



Jule Wheatly, president and general 

 manager of Beaufort Fisheries, agrees 

 with his competitor. "The bulk of our 

 fishing is in mid-December. Unfor- 

 tunately, the fish just don't read 

 regulations; Mother Nature is the 

 main controller in our industry. Some 

 companies are hanging on by a thread. 

 I don't think North Carolina is going 

 to sell us down the river to help the 

 fishermen in New Jersey." 



Menhaden — food for tomorrow 



Menhaden— known for years as a trash fish, the poor 

 man's fish, an industrial fish — may be on its way toward 

 an improved image. Tyre Lanier, a Sea Grant researcher 

 in the NCSU Food Science Department, says menhaden 

 may become the soybean of the sea. 



At the turn of the century, soybeans were used mainly 

 for animal feed, says Lanier. Now, the protein from soy- 

 beans can be found in many items on the grocer's shelves. 

 And, Lanier predicts a similar future for the lowly 

 menhaden. 



He's been experimenting, mincing menhaden to make 

 surimi, a product developed by the Japanese. By water- 

 washing the mince, the Japanese end up with a protein 

 concentrate suitable for use in restructured seafood 

 products. For the consumer, Lanier's research could 

 mean a fish product high in food value but low in cost. 



"Nutritionally, surimi is far superior to soy," says 

 Lanier. "And, functionally, it's much better than soy. It 

 has a bland flavor so that other flavorings can be added." 

 One of the problems with soy is the "beany" flavor that 

 it contributes to the product. 



The surimi process transforms the bony, fatty 

 menhaden into an edible fish. A mechanical deboner 

 removes the bones, and all but two percent of the fat is 

 removed during the washing process. Along with the fat 

 goes the strong, fishy taste characteristic of menhaden. 



The surimi process uses only 20 percent of the fish. The 

 remainder of the fish could still be used for fish meal and 

 fish oil. Lanier says there's already a large, well- 

 established industry equipped to handle the by-products 

 of the surimi process. 



If menhaden were used to make a food for human con- 

 sumption, processing plants would have to upgrade their 

 equipment and impose rigid sanitation conditions. Lanier 

 suggests that two boats, one for food fish and one for feed 

 fish, would operate on the fishing grounds. Some of the 

 catch would be pumped onto each boat. From then on, 

 the processing would be separate until the waste from the 

 surimi would be pumped back into fish meal and solubles 

 processing. 



Photo by Cassie Griffin 



Tyre Lanier samples a surimi product 



