Menhaden Need Your Help Please ! Please Take 30 Minutes to Help Our Fisheries

[Kevin Smith]

Your Menhaden Coalition Needs Your Help

Did you know the ASMFC does not include sea birds or mamals in their calculation to determine the health of the Atlantic Coast Menhaden Population?

The Menhaden Coalition is made up of numerous Virginia Fishing Clubs, tackle shops, conservation groups, etc and we need your help in a letter writing campaign to convince the ASMFC to properly management of the coastal population of Atlantic Menhaden.

Please take a little time to write letters to each of the key individuals below by April 25. You will find that once you have written one good letter, it can be re-used for all your correspondence with some minor changes. Just modify them enough to be appropriate for the different addressees. Feel free to throw in your personal experiences (e.g. the fishing in the Bay has deteriorated along with the decline of menhaden, schools of menhaden in Bay have become increasingly rare). Sample letters are included below.

1. Send a letter via e-mail or Fax to ASMFC’s Brad Spear before April 25.
Brad Spear
Senior FMP Coord. for Policy
ASMFC 6th Floor
1444 Eye St. NW
Washington, DC 2005
Fax: 202 289-6051
comments@asmfc.org

2. Send a letter preferably via U. S. Mail to each of your state’s ASMFC Commissioners before April 29:
In Virginia:

Catherine Davenport
1005 Poplar Neck Road
White Stone, VA 22578
dymer@kaballero.com

Del. Lynwood W. Lewis Jr.
P.O. Box 760
Accomac, VA 2330
Fax: 757 787-2749
DelLLewis@house.virginia.gov

Steve Bowman
Commissioner VMRC
2600 Washington Ave. 3rd Floor,
Newport News, VA 23607
steve.bowman@mrc.virginia.gov

3. Send letter via U. S. Mail to your state Governor before April 29.
In Virginia: Gov. Robert McDonnell
Governor Robert McDonnell
Patrick Henry Bldg. 3rd Floor
1111 E. Broad St.
Richmond, VA 23219

4. Also compose and send a reasoned letter to the editor (e-mail or U. S. Mail) of your local newspapers incorporating some of our primary facts and themes :

● Menhaden are the keystone forage species on the Atlantic coast and in the Chesapeake Bay. Virtually all fish, bird and mammal predators rely on this critical resource for life.

● According to ASMFC assessment, since 1979, the coastal menhaden stock has declined an alarming 72% to a historic low condition. Since the reduction fishery is concentrated in the Virginia portion of the Bay, the menhaden depletion there may be even worse.

● The current stock assessment does not consider the requirements of all fish, bird, and mammal predators, and therefore does not reflect the ecologically depleted condition of the stock. Proper management requires that these needs be considered. (Letters to the ASMFC commissioners need to stress this point).

● Fish and bird predators in the Chesapeake Bay show definite signs of malnutrition.

● Omega Protein concentrates much of its industrial harvest in Chesapeake Bay. They are allowed to remove up to 240,000,000 pounds from the Bay each year.

● There are no limits on the industrial harvest of menhaden in federal waters (3 miles to 200 miles). The depleted state of the menhaden population is not just a Chesapeake Bay concern. It is a coast-wide concern.

● Despite pledges of scientific studies to determine the effect of coastal depletion of menhaden on the health of the Bay, essentially little has been accomplished after nearly five years and millions of dollars spent.

● While there has been much discussion of the economic impact of potential menhaden harvest restrictions on Reedville, there has been little understanding and appreciation of the economic impact of menhaden depletion on all the other Bay area people and industries whose livelihoods are at stake.

See additional Facts and Evidence below after Letters to the Editor

Sample Letters Shown Below

To ASMFC Head
Brad Spear
Senior FMP Coord. for Policy
ASMFC 6th Floor,
1444 Eye St. NW
Fax: 202 289-6051
comments@asmfc.org


Washington, DC 2005

Dear Mr. Spear
How can the ASMFC continue to conclude that the Menhaden fishery is not in trouble when so many signs indicate just the opposite?

According to the ASMFC’s own 2006 stock assessments, the coastal population has fallen by 72% since 1979 to a historic low. That is an alarming decrease in a vital resource, and should dictate the need for emergency remedial action. I am particularly concerned about the ecological impact of over-fishing menhaden in the Chesapeake Bay, where Omega protein concentrates its harvesting efforts. Anyone who spends time on the Bay can tell you that menhaden have become an increasingly rare sight.

The five year harvest cap was supposed to provide time to assess the conditions of menhaden in the Chesapeake Bay, but over four years have passed, and I am unaware of any progress in reaching a conclusion. Now the overly-generous harvest cap is being extended another three years. Omega Protein will continue its over-harvesting of this vital public resource to the detriment of an entire ecosystem.

The ASMFC must act to control the industrial removal of an increasingly scarce public resource.

Respectfully,

************************************************** *******************************
Brad Spear
ASMFC 6th Floor,
1444 Eye St. NW
Washington, DC 2005

Dear Mr. Spear
For a number of years I have been following the management of menhaden. The stock assessments keep saying the stock is healthy, but there are red flags everywhere saying this is not an accurate picture of the situation. These assessments are estimates at best .While they may be the “best available science,” they are not good enough and should not be used as the sole criteria for conservation policy. I urge the Board to start now to rebuild a stock that has declined precipitously over the last three decades.

Sincerely,


To ASMFC Menhaden Management Board Members

Dear ASMFC Commissioner:

I am writing to express my concern for the health of the Atlantic Menhaden coastal stock.

First I am alarmed to learn that the coastal population of this vital forage fish has declined over 70% in the last three decades according to the 2006 stock assessment. Such a precipitous decline cries out for closer scrutiny and management action.

The ASMFC’s 2006 stock assessment concluded that the stock is not over-fished, yet I have heard that the ASMFC’s own targets are regularly exceeded with no management action being taken.

Further, I understand that the assumptions used in the assessment are incomplete. While the needs of the reduction industry are considered, it appears that the needs of many fish, bird, and mammal predators are not. The absence of these predator requirements should render the current assessment invalid.

Even when using the current flawed model, I understand that the menhaden population was found to be over-fished for many of the last 50 years. This vital fishery deserves the very best management. Allowing the coastal abundance to decline to historic lows does not give me confidence that the fishery is receiving the management that it clearly deserves.

There is much more at stake here than the ability of a Texas-based corporation to continue to raid the Bay and Virginia’s coastal waters. There is an entire coastal ecosystem at stake. You are charged with the profound responsibility of protecting it. I ask that you do your duty to the state and to marine resources

Sincerely

************************************************** *********************************

To State Governor(s)

Honorable Robert McDonnell:

I am writing to you on the subject of Atlantic Menhaden. There will be a serious discussion at the upcoming ASMFC meeting May 5 concerning the need for a more proactive program to start rebuilding the depleted coastal stock. There is a bigger issue here than the well being of a Texas-based corporation … a coastal ecosystem is at stake.

The Menhaden reduction industry fished the New England menhaden population out of existence. Given the chance, I think they will do it here.

Here are some facts that one should keep in mind on this issue and they are all based on science.
1. The stock has declined by more than 70% in the past 3 decades according to the ASMFC’s stock abundance data.
2. The stock may have been overfished for 30 out of the past 50 years according to data in the new stock assessment where more attention is placed on the 3 and 4 year old reproductive fish in the population
3. Recent studies of Chesapeake Bay striped bass clearly show they are undernourished, and menhaden are their preferred food source
4. Recent studies also link the advance of mycobacteriosis in the striped bass population to lack of adequate nutrition. Their preferred forage is nutrient rich menhaden.

These factors clearly indicate the stock is in trouble, and corrective measures are warranted. We hope your state commissioners to the Atlantic States Fishery Management Commission will join with other states in taking positive action to manage menhaden in such a fashion as to restore the stock to a level where its ecological role can be assured.

Sincerely,


************************************************** *******************************

Honorable Robert McDonnell:

The abundance of Atlantic Menhaden (Ocean and Chesapeake Bay) has fallen precipitously over the last three decades. In fact, based on the current ASMFC assessment, today’s abundance is at a historic low … an alarming 72% below the 1979 level.

The recently extended Chesapeake Bay harvest cap for Omega Protein will allow them to continue to remove up to 240,000,000 pounds from the Bay each year, depriving fish, bird, and mammal predators of the forage they require. Recent assessments show menhaden mortality and fecundity both failing to meet established targets. Yet, surprisingly, the ASMFC continues to report that this critical resource is not over-fished.

In 2001, the ASMFC pledged to “manage the Atlantic menhaden fishery in a manner that is biologically, economically, socially and ecologically sound, while protecting the resource and those who benefit from it.” But the ASMFC continues to exhibit a disappointing but consistent characteristic of fisheries management … doing little or nothing until a stock is in serious trouble. Shad and river herring stocks are depleted, and weakfish have virtually disappeared. In the Gulf, fisheries managers allowed redfish and red snapper to be fished to near extinction. Our fisheries managers in the Atlantic and the Gulf need to be held accountable for their actions or lack thereof.

I urge your attention to this pressing issue of coastal resources. Other Atlantic states long ago moved to protect the menhaden forage base in their waters. Isn’t it time that Virginia took action to better protect its own ecosystem?

Sincerely,

Letters to Editors (Send your original letters ASAP)
Editor, Times-Dispatch

The history of marine resources management is not a happy one. Regulatory agencies charged with assuring sustainable fisheries have repeatedly allowed over-fishing to the point that stocks became dangerously depleted, and moratoriums were required. Sometimes stocks were allowed to drop so low that recovery, if possible, might take decades. “Too little, too late” would be an apt description of their management practices.

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission is now faced with decision time on menhaden. The coastal biomass is at a historic low, having declined 72% since 1979. Fish and bird predators are suffering the consequences of a depleted menhaden population. Meanwhile, Omega Protein a Texas-based corporation with a fleet in Reedville, is allowed to remove up to 240,000,000 pounds of menhaden from the Virginia portion of the Chesapeake Bay each year.

All Atlantic states except Virginia and North Carolina have recognized the threat of industrial harvest, and moved to prohibit the menhaden reduction industry from fishing their state waters. Virginia is especially vulnerable to the impact of the industrial menhaden harvest, as at least half of Omega Protein’s harvest is from our ecologically sensitive Bay.

It’s time that the ASMFC stop Omega Protein from over-fishing the Chesapeake Bay by reducing the overly generous harvest cap. It’s time that Virginia legislators and citizens insist on responsible management for our most important forage resource.
Sincerely,


************************************************** ***********************
Editor, Times-Dispatch:

Should a privately owned corporation be allowed to exploit an ecologically critical, publicly-owned resource without fairly compensating the public for that resource? In the case of menhaden, it appears that a Texas-based company is doing exactly that.

The Menhaden fishery is an under-appreciated, but highly valuable public resource, which is being aggressively fished in Virginia waters by Omega Protein located in Reedville. They are authorized by the General Assembly to remove up to 240,000,000 pounds of menhaden each year from the Virginia portion of the Chesapeake Bay. They compete for this vital resource with fish, bird, and mammal predators, which require this ecologically critical forage for survival.

Omega Protein presses and grinds their menhaden harvest into a number of industrial products. Their license cost to exploit the menhaden resource runs less than $1,000 for each of their 10 ships. Consequently, they are able to obtain the raw material to supply their privately owned industrial process for essentially nothing.

Since 1979, the coastal menhaden abundance has declined an alarming 72%, which raises several questions: Can such exploitation continue at the present level? Are ocean and Bay predators being denied the forage they require? Many signs lead to that conclusion. The ASMFC is scheduled to make the call in May. Here’s hoping that these stewards of coastal fisheries will abandon their traditional “too little, too late” management practices, and start restoring the menhaden population for the benefit of its citizen and marine constituency.

Sincerely,

************************************************** ************************
Editor, Times-Dispatch

Most Virginians have scant knowledge of a little saltwater fish called a menhaden. These schooling fish are ecologically critical to the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean as food for both fish and bird predators. They are frequently described as “The Most Important Fish in the Sea.”

Unfortunately, the coastal biomass has plummeted an alarming 72% since 1979, creating concern among anglers, charter boat captains, bait and tackle shops, boat dealers, marina operators, and conservationists. Despite the precipitous decline in the number of menhaden, Omega Protein, the company that presses, chops, and grinds these fish into industrial products, is allowed to harvest up to 240,000,000 pounds a year from the Virginia portion of the Chesapeake Bay. Maryland and 12 other Atlantic coast states have already prohibited the industrial harvest of menhaden in their waters. The ASMFC, which has control over the coastal stock, uses a management assessment model and reference points which consider the needs of Omega Protein, but excludes the needs of most fish, bird, and mammal predators.

The Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC), which is responsible for managing Virginia’s saltwater resources, is powerless to apply any restrictions, because the General Assembly continues to retain jurisdiction over this single saltwater species.

The ecologically depleted menhaden population cries out for management attention. Legislators continue to ignore their role as stewards of Virginia’s saltwater resources, preferring to defer to the ASMFC, which has a well-earned reputation for its “too little, too late” management practices.

It seems irresponsible for Virginia to leave the management of its own marine ecosystem to bureaucrats from other Atlantic states, which long ago prohibited industrial menhaden fishing in their own state waters.

Sincerely,

************************************************** ***********************
More Facts and Evidence

Menhaden represent the most important forage species along the Atlantic coast and in the Chesapeake Bay. Most saltwater fish and coastal bird predators depend on them for life itself.

The five year harvest cap (2006-2010) which was established for the reduction industry in Chesapeake Bay is 109,020 metric tons annually. That equates to 240,389,100 pounds. That figure was the reported five year average reduction industry Bay harvest from 2001 to 2005.

According to the ASMFC’s 2006 assessment, the coastal abundance of menhaden has fallen an alarming 72% since 1979, and is now at a historic low point.

Only one state on the east coast allows the menhaden fishing industry unfettered access to its state waters … Virginia. Only one state on the east coast allows the menhaden fishing industry to bring its ships and purse seines into tidal rivers …Virginia. There are no limits to the reduction industry’s menhaden harvest in federal waters.

The Virginia General Assembly has jurisdiction over the menhaden fishery in Virginia waters. It is the only saltwater fishery that is not managed by the VMRC. There is no mechanism for the actual management of menhaden in the General Assembly.

Those who have spent time on the Chesapeake Bay agree that the number and size of menhaden schools has declined dramatically in recent decades.

Per studies performed by the Chesapeake Bay Ecological Foundation, Rockfish weight-to-length ratios have fallen steadily over the last decade, a sure indication that menhaden are in short supply.

Addendum II initiated a research program to evaluate the possibility of localized depletion of menhaden in the Chesapeake Bay. It established four research priority areas that were designated to inform this evaluation:
• Determine menhaden abundance in Chesapeake Bay.
• Determine estimates of removal of menhaden by predators.
• Determine exchange of menhaden between the Bay and coastal systems.
• Determine recruitment to the Bay through larval studies.

Assessment models used by the ASMFC to determine whether menhaden are present in sufficient quantity to maintain sustainability requirements for the reduction and bait industries understate the needs of fish, bird, and mammal predators. Alternative assessment models using more realistic reference points show the fishery to be in trouble.

Bay anchovy numbers have shown a dramatic decline since 1994 in Maryland's portion of the Chesapeake Bay and it's tributaries, documenting the first long-term decline ever recorded for the species. Weakfish, shad, river herring, and crabs have experienced similar declines. Are hungry rockfish contributing to this decline?

The history of fisheries management is not a proud or happy one. Time after time, regulating bodies have delayed stock harvesting decisions until the stock was seriously depleted, at which time moratoriums were required.

Even using the current flawed menhaden stock assessment model assumptions … which do not adequately recognize the forage needs of all fish, bird, and mammal predators … overfishing may have occurred 36 of the last 50 years when more consideration is given to 3 and 4 year old menhaden in the population.

Since 2005, the reduction industry in Virginia has contributed nearly $170,000 to candidates for Virginia state offices and more the $50,000 in 2009.

In 2005, a VIMS Marine Resource Report stated that recreational and commercial fisheries in Virginia generate more than 13,000 jobs, and generate more than $1.2 billion for Virginia’s economy. In contrast, the menhaden reduction industry in Virginia supports approximately 281 jobs (full and part-time), and contributes $32.9 million to Virginia’s economy.

Richmond Times Dispatch
letters@timesdispatch.com
or
Richmond Times Dispatch
Letters to the Editor
300 E. Franklin Street
Richmond, VA 23219

Virginian Pilot (Norfolk)
letters@pilotonline.com
or
Virginian-Pilot
Letters to the Editor
P.O. Box 449
Norfolk, VA 23501

Daily Press (Hampton, Newport News)
letters@dailypress.com
or
Daily Press
7505 Warwick Blvd.
Newport News, VA 23607

Free Lance-Star (Fredericksburg)
letters@freelancestar.com
or
Free Lance-Star
Letters to the Editor
616 Amelia Street
Fredericksburg, VA 22401

Washington Post

Baltimore Sun

Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission
Management Board

STATE ADMINISTRATOR GOVERNOR'S APPOINTEE LEGISLATOR

ME George Lapointe
ME DMR
21 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333
Phone: 207/624-6553
FAX: 207/624-6024 Patten White
1 Pine Island
York, ME 03909
Phone: 207/363-6783
FAX: 207/363-6783 Senator Dennis Damon
Maine Senate District 5
256 Oak Point Road
Trenton, ME 04605
Phone: 207/667-9629
FAX: 207/287-1585

NH Douglas Grout
NH FG
225 Main Street
Durham, NH 03824
Phone: 603/868-1096
FAX: 603/868-3305 G. Ritchie White
30 Lang Road
Rye, NH 03870
Phone: 603/964-2211
FAX: 603/964-2212 Rep. Dennis Abbott
199 Ash Swamp Road
Newmarket, NH 03857
Phone: 603/659-3175
Chair, ASMFC Legislators

MA Paul Diodati, Vice-Chair
MA DMF
251 Causeway Street, #400
Boston, MA 02114
Phone: 617/626-1530
FAX: 617/626-1509 William A. Adler
Massachusetts Lobstermen's Association
PO Box 397
Green Harbor, MA 02041
Phone: 781/545-6984
FAX: 781/545-7837 Representative Sarah K. Peake
State House
Room 473F
State House
Boston, MA 02133
Phone: 617/722-2210

RI Robert Ballou
RI Fish and Wildlife Division, DEM
3 Fort Wetherill Road
Jamestown, RI 02835
Phone: 401/423-1926
FAX: 401/423-1925 Senator V. Susan Sosnowski
680 Glen Rock Rd
West Kingston, RI 02892
Phone: 401/276-5547

CT David Simpson
CT DEP, Marine Fisheries
333 Ferry Road
PO Box 719
Old Lyme, CT 06371
Phone: 860/434-6043
FAX: 860/434-6150 Dr. Lance Stewart
University of Connecticut
CANR/CES, Avery Point
1084 Shennecossett Road
Groton, CT 06340
Phone: 860/887-1608
FAX: 860/886-1164 Representative Craig A. Miner
House Republican Office
L.O.B. Room 4200
Hartford, CT 01606
Phone: 860/842-1423
FAX: 860/240-0207

NY James Gilmore
NYSDEC, Marine Resources
205 North Belle Mead Road
East Setauket, NY
Phone: 631/444-0433
FAX: 631/444-0434 Pat Augustine
25 Stuart Drive
Coram, NY 11727
Phone: 631/928-1524
FAX: 631/928-3540 Senator Owen Johnson
23-24 Argyle Square
Babylon, NY 11702
Phone: 631/669-9200
FAX: 631/669-9007

NJ David Chanda
NJ FW
PO BOX 400
Trenton, NJ 08625-0400
Phone: 609/292-9410
FAX: 609/984-1408 Tom Fote
22 Cruiser Court
Toms River, NJ 08753-6246
Phone: 732/270-9102
FAX: 732/506-6409 Assemblyman Nelson Albano

1028 East Landis Avenue
Vineland, NJ 08360-4041
Phone: 856/696-7109
FAX: 856/696-7159

PA Leroy Young
PA Fish & Boat Commission
450 Robinson Lane
Bellefonte , PA 116823-7437
Phone: 814/359-5177
FAX: 814/359-5153 Loren W. Lustig
795 Stone Jug Road
Biglerville, PA 17307-9790
Phone: 410/386-2103
FAX: 410/876-8282 Rep. Curt Schroder
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
315 Gordon Drive
Exton, PA 19341
Phone: 610/524-5595
FAX: 610/524-5667

DE Patrick J. Emory
DE DFW
89 Kings Highway
Dover, DE 19901
Phone: 302/739-9910
FAX: 302/739-6151 Roy Miller
31421 Melloy Court
Lewes, DE 19958-3863
Phone: 302/645-7103
Senator Robert L. Venables, Sr.
116 Hearn Avenue
Laurel, DE 19956
Phone: (302)744-4298
FAX: (302)739-6890

MD Thomas O'Connell
MD DNR
580 Taylor Avenue
Annapolis, MD 21401
Phone: 410/260-8281
FAX: 410/260-8278 William Goldsborough
Chesapeake Bay Foundation
6 Herndon Avenue
Annaplois, MD 21403
Phone: 410/268-8816 Senator Richard F. Colburn
5210 Heron Road
Cambridge, MD 21613
Phone: 410/228-1137
FAX: 410/376-3737

VA Steven Bowman
VMRC
2600 Washington Avenue, Third Floor
Newport News, VA 23607-4317
Phone: 757/247-2278
FAX: 757/247-2020 Catherine Davenport
1005 Poplar Neck Road
White Stone, VA 22578
Phone: 804/435-2173 Delegate Lynwood W. Lewis, Jr.
PO Box 760
23349 Cross Street
Accomac, Virginia 23301-0760
Phone: 866/787-1094 or 757/787-1094
FAX- 757-787-2749

NC Louis Daniel, Ph.D.
NC DMF
3441 Arendell Street
PO BOX 769
Morehead City, NC 28557-0769
Phone: 252/726-7021
FAX: 252/726-0254 Willard Cole
406 Penrose Court
Greensboro, NC 27410-3114
Phone: 336/294-3919 Rep. William L. Wainwright
532 Legislative Office Building
Raleigh, NC 27603-5925
Phone: 919/733-5995

SC John E. Frampton
SC DNR
PO Box 167
Columbia, SC 29202
Phone: 803/734-4007
FAX: 803/734-6310 Dr. Malcolm Rhodes
7 Guerard Road
Charleston, SC 29407
Phone: 843/556-4731
FAX: 843/571-2787
Chair, ASMFC Governors' Appointees Robert H. Boyles, Jr., Chair

SC DNR
PO Box 12559
Charleston, SC 29422-2559
Phone: 843/953-9304
FAX: 843/953-9159

GA Spud Woodward
GA CRD
One Conservation Way, Suite 300
Brunswick, GA 31520
Phone: 912/264-7218
FAX: 912/262-3143 John Duren
8 Calico Crab Retreat
Savannah, GA 31411
Phone: 912-598-7966 Rep. Bob Lane
226 State Capitol
Atlanta, GA 30334
Phone: 404-656-5115

FL Jessica McCawley
FL FWCC
Division of Marine Fisheries Management
2590 Executive Center Circle E, Suite 201
Tallahassee, FL 32301
Phone: 850/487-0580 Ext. 217
Fax: 850/487-4847 William R. Orndorf
1950 Palomino Road
Melbourne, FL 32934 Senator Thad Altman

Florida Senate, District 24
6767 N. Wickham Road, Suite 211
Melbourne, FL 32940
Phone: 321/752-3138

[SaltyJB]

Latest ASMFC Assessment (2009) shows an 86% decline in the coastal menhaden population since 1979. How long is the ASMFC willing to wait before reacting to this coastal emergency?