anti menhaden fishing campaign is in full swing. Newport News Daily Press readers are presented with a biased editorial while Saving Menhaden Fisheries dissects and debunks.
Particularly, Mr. Joseph’s depiction of menhaden stock assessments and stock assessment science is riddled with inaccuracies, especially when he writes, “the science now shows what every recreational fisherman in the Bay has known for years, which is that the menhaden fishery has collapsed.” The “science” draws no such conclusion. Both the 2010 and 2012 menhaden stock assessments released by the ASMFC concluded that menhaden were not overfished, with the 2012 assessment measuring the stock at 40 percent above its fecundity threshold. This means that, far from having collapsed, the stock is producing more than enough eggs (40 percent more) to sustain itself.
Leave a Reply