[新聞] Men-what? For Many, It’s a Meal

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What’s the most important fish in the sea?That distinction often goes to a one-pound creature that most people have never heard of: menhaden.
These fish, which barely reach a foot long, are a critical food source for wildlife such as whales, dolphins, ospreys and eagles. They also are eaten by valuable fish species, including tuna, cod, striped bass and tarpon.



Yet their populations along the Atlantic coast, from Maine to Florida, are at a record low—just 10 percent of historic levels. Fishermen have hauled in billions of menhaden, which are ground up mostly to make fertilizer, pet food, dietary supplements and feed for agricultural animals and farm-raised fish—further increasing demand for the dwindling species.

Menhaden’s decades-long decline is like a vegetable shortage in the grocery store. Without this important food staple, diets are compromised, and it’s a scramble to find suitable substitutes. For example, although these fish once made up 70 percent of the diet of the Chesapeake Bay striped bass, they now account for just 7 percent, and the bass are showing signs of malnutrition and disease.





Scientists suspect the effects of dwindling menhaden are much more widespread. The shortage threatens the Atlantic marine food web and could cripple the commercial and sport fishing industries. Striped bass alone generate $6.9 billion in revenue and 68,000 jobs for East Coast commercial and recreational fishing industries annually, according to a 2005 study by Stripers Forever, a non-profit striped bass conservation group.

With so much at stake, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, which manages fishing policies in coastal waters of the 15 Atlantic states, is hosting public hearings this month. The commission will meet in Boston beginning Nov. 7 and will vote on Nov. 9, based on public feedback, on what to do about the threat to menhaden.

Independent scientists have told commissioners that more of these small fish must be left alone so they can quickly replenish their severely depleted population. To ensure a sufficient supply of menhaden for fishermen to catch and for predators to eat, the species must rebuild to at least four times its current size.

By weight, more menhaden are caught than any other fish on the East Coast. And one company, Omega Protein, operates a fleet that annually scoops up about three-quarters of the catch—more than 410 million pounds. Most of the haul comes from the Chesapeake Bay, a critical habitat for the juvenile fish.

My colleagues at the Pew Environment Group are working to ensure that menhaden are plentiful enough to play their many roles: as bait for commercially valuable species, as ingredients in commercial products and as a critical part of the ecosystem and marine food web. Menhaden can serve all of these purposes, but smart fishing limits must be established to help the species recover quickly enough to keep up with human and ecological needs.

--by Debbie Salamone

simonggsh

thanks for sharing..

simonggsh

thanks for sharing..