‘The Most Important Fish in the Sea’ Video Series

January 27, 2026

TRCP took a Mid-Atlantic road trip to interview an array of anglers and others to raise awareness about what menhaden are and why these small fish matter

In my three years helping share TRCP’s marine fisheries work, I’ve spent a lot of time focused on menhaden conservation efforts in the Atlantic and Gulf. And one point that’s really been driven home to me after numerous conversations with partners, reporters, fishing buddies, family members, and others is that a lot of people don’t even know what menhaden are (though they might if you use other names they go by, like bunker or pogy), despite them oft-referenced as “the most important fish in the sea.”

Once anyone knows anything about menhaden, they quickly realize how important they are as a keystone species, not only for coastal ecosystems, but as fuel for coveted sportfish like striped bass, tuna, and redfish. Then it’s easy to understand why TRCP focuses on this fish’s conservation and proper management as a top priority.

So to share these basics – what are menhaden, and why do they matter – I took a “Menhaden Road Trip” last October to interview folks from Virginia Beach to Montauk to capture the significance of this humble fish.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get to fish during the fall striped bass run – these sportfish, also called rockfish, follow menhaden migrating down the coast – because of unrelenting wind. I frankly can’t write about this trip and not write about the wind. A Nor’easter had just pushed up the Atlantic Coast, and while the storm was moving offshore, the wind remained. Wind in the Chesapeake Bay. Wind on Long Island. Wind in some of the audio clips despite a microphone specifically designed to block it (sorry about that).

So while I didn’t get to see top charter captains like Paul Dixon in action, I got what I really came for – the chance to talk with Paul and numerous other knowledgeable people passionate about menhaden conservation.

First up in our 10-volume series are drone photographer Joanna Steidle, who relies heavily on menhaden for the shots that make her art (and living) possible, and Chris Moore, Virginia executive director for the Chesapeake Bay foundation, a TRCP partner. If you haven’t already, take a look at their menhaden reflections in the videos embedded above. And keep an eye out for more to come at the link below.

But I talked to more folks than those I interviewed. There were also the people who talked with me without a microphone about fishery conservation, changes in commercial and recreational fishing, and the role of forage fish like menhaden. Like a woman attending an educational speaker series in Virginia, who didn’t know what I was covering until I explained that menhaden are also called “bunker.” Then there were Tanner and his wife Nicole up in Montauk at the century-old Shagwong Tavern, where we talked about the heated viewpoints people take on commercial fishing (it’s how he makes his living) while I ate the best fluke (flounder) – which also rely on menhaden – that I’ve ever had. And an older couple staying on the beach who visit the East End every year from New York City who said, unlike in the past, they see whales all the time now, but didn’t know why. Menhaden, I told them. Maybe that’s why.

Menhaden? they said. What’s a menhaden?

Indeed. That couple is exactly why I took this trip. To make sure that more people like them who already care about the ocean, or about saltwater fishing, or about coastal economies, or simply spend their dollars enjoying wildlife watching and dining on fresh seafood, also understand how important these forage fish are to all of those things.

This trip allowed me to interview people from different walks of life, from local artists to charter guides, from our partners with national and regional nonprofits to scientists and seasoned recreational anglers, and let them share in their own words what menhaden are and why they matter. We wanted to give them all a platform to reach countless others with their own pitch for this fish. So that if I ever run into that couple from New York again and remind them how we met, they’ll hopefully say:

Oh yeah! You’re the menhaden guy.

Keep an eye out for more videos to come from the road trip on TRCP’s digital channels in the months ahead, and by keeping an eye on our YouTube playlist for the series (link below). And be sure to approach at least one person today who hasn’t heard of menhaden, to make you’re your own pitch for why they matter.

Menhaden: The Most Important Fish in the Sea

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by: Dan Morgan

posted in: Menhaden

December 19, 2025

Looking Ahead: TRCP’s Conservation Priorities for 2026

The year ahead provides hunters and anglers with opportunities to further advance America’s legacy of conservation, habitat, and access

Building on the achievements of 2025, the year ahead will require the same steady engagement, practical problem-solving, and bipartisan collaboration that have long defined conservation success for hunters and anglers. Theodore Roosevelt understood that progress is not forged from the sidelines, but by those willing to step into the arena, accept responsibility, and do the work. That spirit continues to guide TRCP forward.

While political uncertainty remains and agency capacity is strained, the path ahead is clear. As T.R. urged, “Get action. Do things; be sane; don’t fritter away your time; create, act, take a place wherever you are and be somebody; get action.” Conservation advances when hunters, anglers, landowners, policymakers, and partners stay engaged, work together, and “get action” with purpose and resolve. In 2026, TRCP will remain focused on durable solutions that safeguard access, strengthen habitat, and carry forward the hunting and fishing traditions that define a vigorous American conservation legacy.

With that focus guiding our work, TRCP’s conservation priorities for 2026 include:

Championing Access

Access is where conservation becomes personal. In 2026, TRCP will continue to champion policies that ensure hunters and anglers can reach – and responsibly enjoy – the places that define America’s conservation legacy and our outdoor traditions.

Public lands remain central to this work. TRCP will stay engaged on public access, forest health, habitat restoration, wildlife connectivity, and active stewardship. This work also includes maintaining special places and conserving intact habitats, while advancing management activities that improve habitat conditions and reduce the risk of severe wildfire. We will also focus on ensuring land management plans are implemented as intended, balancing conservation goals with hunting and fishing opportunities.

Access also depends on thoughtful decision making on infrastructure and permitting. TRCP will work to support reforms that improve efficiency without sacrificing longstanding safeguards, recognizing that strong conservation and responsible development must coexist. Bringing diverse stakeholders to the same table will remain central to finding workable, durable solutions.

On private lands, TRCP will continue advancing programs that strengthen access while supporting landowner interests, ensuring these tools remain effective, well-supported, and relevant for hunters, anglers, and landowners alike.

Strengthening Habitat

Healthy habitat is a foundation of conservation – and in 2026, TRCP’s focus will be on turning policy momentum into on-the-ground results. That includes conserving intact habitats where they still exist, while advancing thoughtful management that improves resilience and reduces the risk of severe wildfire.

On private lands, that means ensuring conservation programs deliver real benefits for landowners, wildlife, and sportsmen and women. Historic conservation investments have created opportunities but staffing shortages and delivery challenges threaten outcomes. TRCP will continue working with agencies and partners to identify solutions that keep voluntary conservation effective and accessible, including sustained attention to programs like the Conservation Reserve Program.

Water will remain central to habitat work. In the West, rivers like the Colorado and Rio Grande face increasing pressure from drought, demand, and sustained extreme weather events. TRCP will support bipartisan efforts that promote collaborative river management, invest in watershed health, and recognize that resilient watersheds support fish, wildlife, agriculture, and communities alike.

Habitat priorities also include planning for change. In regions experiencing rapid development, shifting land use, and more extreme weather, TRCP is working to identify priority landscapes and guide smarter conservation investments – particularly where privately owned lands play an outsized role.

Conserving Wildlife Through Habitat and Access

Healthy wildlife populations depend on science-based management and coordination across boundaries. In 2026, TRCP will continue advocating for policies that sustain fish and wildlife while strengthening habitat and supporting the fishing and hunting opportunities they make possible.

This includes championing science-driven marine fisheries management along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts – particularly for forage fish species like menhaden that underpin entire ecosystems and recreational fisheries. TRCP will remain engaged with management bodies to advocate for decisions that reflect the best available science, while building broader regional support for conservation outcomes that benefit anglers, coastal communities, and wildlife alike.

Freshwater systems will also remain a priority. Along the Mississippi River, TRCP is working to elevate interstate and non-profit coordination on fisheries management, nature based solutions, and invasive species – challenges that no single entity can solve alone, but that directly affect habitat restoration and sporting opportunities throughout the basin.

On land, wildlife health continues to demand sustained attention. Chronic wasting disease remains a complex, evolving challenge. In 2026, TRCP will continue focusing on collaborative research and thoughtful engagement that reflects reality – there are no quick fixes, but informed, coordinated action can make a meaningful difference over time.

Across these efforts, TRCP will continue strengthening the links between hunters, anglers, science, and policy – and work to ensure that decision-makers have access to credible research and practical pathways to act.

Staying Engaged, Together

The year ahead will bring both challenges and opportunity – but conservation has never advanced by standing still. It moves forward when people stay engaged, build on what works, and commit for the long haul.

In 2026, TRCP will continue prioritizing durable, bipartisan solutions grounded in science and strengthened through collaboration. Progress may not always come quickly, but history has shown that steady engagement, shared responsibility, and persistence deliver lasting results.

As we look ahead, the call is the same one Theodore Roosevelt issued more than a century ago: step into the arena, get action, and do the work. Conservation moves forward when hunters, anglers, partners, and decision makers show up together. With your continued support, TRCP will keep working to advance solutions that safeguard wildlife, strengthen habitat, and secure access – today and for generations to come. As TR urged, we will “get action” and do the work necessary to guarantee all Americans quality places to hunt and fish.

When we unite, we win.

Stay connected in 2026. The TRCP is your resource for all things conservation. In our weekly Roosevelt Report, you’ll receive the latest news on emerging habitat threats, legislation and proposals on the move, public land access solutions we’re spearheading, and opportunities for hunters and anglers to take action. Sign up now.

by: Jaclyn Lunaas

posted in: Menhaden

December 18, 2025

2025 Forage Fish Conservation Wrap-Up

Late in the year, the menhaden reduction industry gained ground at dismantling hard-fought conservation wins for coastal ecosystems and sportfish populations. Where does that leave us now?

For our usual year-end forage fish wrap up, we decided this year to dive into the latest alarming menhaden regulatory decisions, what they mean, and let you know how you can continue to engage decision-makers to try to save the hard-fought, science-based wins that our angling and conservation community has worked so hard to put in place.

Atlantic Overview

As we reported two months ago, the Menhaden Management Board of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission voted in late October to cut the 2026 Atlantic menhaden quota by a mere 20 percent. This may sound like a lot, and while it is a moderate decrease, a revised stock assessment showed the menhaden population size is more than one-third lower than previously estimated, and that a cut of over 50 percent is necessary to ensure there are enough of these critical forage fish available in the water to support rebuilding the Atlantic striped bass population.

The decision to adopt a token reduction in the Atlantic menhaden catch quota disregards the science and input from ASMFC’s own scientists.

The Board also chose to only set the new quota for one year, rather than the full three years consistent with how the ecosystem-based framework is designed. This decision to adopt a token reduction in the coastwide quota disregards the science and input from ASMFC’s own scientists, abandons the Commission’s own ecosystem-based management framework, and undermines public trust in the ASMFC’s management decisions. In addition, even with this decrease in quota, it will likely not decrease coastwide harvest, negating the presumed conservation benefits that the cut could have.

From our perspective, the ASMFC’s decision:

1. Ignored the best available science in the stock assessment update, which showed that the Atlantic menhaden population is 37 percent lower than previously estimated, and that for years fewer forage fish have been in the water for predators to eat.

2. Abandoned the Commission’s own Ecological Reference Point (ERP) management framework, which indicated that even a quota cut of more than 50 percent would achieve only a 50/50 chance of not exceeding the ERP fishing mortality target. (See our earlier blog for an explanation of ERPs.)

3. Allowed one company operating in one state – Omega Protein, in Virginia – to overtly influence the coastwide decision-making process in their favor, to the detriment of not only the ecosystem, but other Atlantic states’ bait industries as well.

4. Disregarded the overwhelming majority of the public who commented in favor of a new quota that would have maintained the integrity of the ecosystem-based menhaden management framework (more than 1,100 opposition comments were generated through TRCP alone).

On a positive note, because this was only a one-year decision, TRCP will push for additional quota reductions in 2026 and 2027. Also, the Board did finally choose to initiate a process to address Chesapeake Bay menhaden management. Early next year, it will consider options for quota periods to distribute menhaden removals more evenly throughout the fishing season, as well as options to reduce the Bay’s reduction fishing cap, ranging from status quo to a 50 percent decrease.

The cap was put in place nearly two decades ago as a precautionary measure to protect predator diet needs in the Chesapeake, but due to industry opposition, efforts to gather data to justify any updates to the cap have been stymied. This process could yield significant benefits to the Bay ecosystem, which has faced multiple concerns recently tied to menhaden, including osprey breeding failures due to chick starvation.

Menhaden serve as a critical food source for striped bass, ospreys, and many other predators. Credit: Sergio Diaz

What’s Next for Atlantic Menhaden?

In February 2026, or at the latest, by next summer, the ASMFC should publish the draft addendum for public comment regarding Chesapeake Bay management. It’s imperative that you participate in that public process by submitting comments virtually or in-person at future public hearings. The TRCP and partners will be fully engaged in advocating for options that conserve menhaden for its environmental role in the Bay to sustain striped bass, osprey, and other predators – and we will be sure to provide more information on how you can take action next year.

Gulf Overview

As we reported last month, after facing intense industry pressure, the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission voted to proceed with a Notice of Intent (NOI) that is slated to reduce a half-mile buffer zone for industrial menhaden fishing off Louisiana’s coast to just a quarter-mile in most locations. This change could allow industrial menhaden harvest in waters as shallow as five feet—undoing a compromise reached in 2024 between anglers, conservation groups, the menhaden industry, and state officials. After a one-month public comment period, the NOI will move to natural resource committees in the state legislature for approval, where lawmakers have the ability to reject the proposed changes.

After a half-mile buffer restricting industrial menhaden fishing near Louisiana’s coast was put in place, fish-kill incidents declined by 81 percent.

The current buffer was established following multiple fish spills caused by menhaden harvest nearshore in 2023, with torn or overfilled nets wasting over 2.5 million menhaden and killing thousands of breeding-size redfish that washed up on public beaches. We calculated that after that buffer was put in place in 2024, fish-kill incidents declined by 81 percent in 2024-2025, compared to historical averages.

Also, a 2024 study found that approximately 150 million non-target fish are caught as bycatch each year by the menhaden industry, including 30,000 redfish and hundreds of thousands of other predators like spotted seatrout (speckled trout), black drum, and jack crevalle, as well as 25-million-plus sand seatrout, commonly called white trout. The Commission’s decision in November completely ignored this disturbing information, undermining public trust in Louisiana’s fisheries management. This move threatens fragile coastal habitats and fish populations in Sportsman’s Paradise and risks reversing the gains we have made to protect the forage fish base in the Gulf, which supports key sportfish populations and nearshore ecosystems.

What’s Next for Gulf Menhaden?

From now through Jan. 23, 2026 this NOI will be open for public comment that will be considered by the LWFC. Comments can be submitted directly to Jason Adriance, LDWF’s finfish program manager, or using the TRCP’s action alert system HERE.

Take action by telling the LWFC not to roll back the buffers:

TRCP also is providing another means to potentially reverse the NOI decision. You can sign a separate alert targeting state lawmakers asking them to reject the NOI.

Take action by urging lawmakers to reject the NOI:

We need your help by signing both alerts to let lawmakers and the Commission know that you oppose any rollbacks to the current buffer zones, to protect Louisiana’s nearshore ecosystems and public fisheries. We cannot let the menhaden industry bully the LWFC and Commissioners into making management decisions solely for their benefit. The Commission cannot responsibly abdicate its responsibility to serve all the people and natural resources of Louisiana.

Thank You for Your Support

Only together can we ultimately achieve long-term menhaden conservation to support recreational fishing and healthy coastal ecosystems. We appreciate your ongoing and necessary support. As always, feel free to reach out to our team at any time.

Banner image courtesy Joanna Steidle

by: Dan Morgan

posted in: Menhaden

December 11, 2025

Our Top Conservation Achievements in 2025

Your support helped make these conservation achievements possible.

In many ways, 2025 was a year defined by gridlock and uncertainty in Washington D.C. Partisan divides slowed much of Congress, budgets were tight, and long-term solutions often felt just out of reach. Yet even in this environment, one thing remains clear: when hunters, anglers, and conservation partners stay engaged and unite, conservation solutions take shape and harmful proposals sink.

Those moments underscored why steady engagement matters and they reinforce TRCP’s commitment to remain vigilant, build durable coalitions, and continue advocating for the balanced conservation solutions that safeguard America’s lands, waters, and wildlife.

In 2025, the hunting and fishing community stepped into the arena and delivered meaningful achievements that safeguarded access, strengthened habitat, and advanced bipartisan, durable solutions that will benefit the future of our sporting traditions. Here are just a few:

We Held the Line on Public Lands, Together.

Public lands are a cornerstone of America’s conservation legacy – and of our hunting and fishing traditions. In 2025, the sporting and conservation community achieved a significant win that safeguarded our nation’s public lands.

Working alongside a broad, bipartisan coalition, TRCP helped defeat proposals that would have mandated the sale of millions of acres of public lands as part of the budget reconciliation process. Through sustained advocacy and engagement with hunters, anglers, and Congress, those provisions were removed, ensuring that public lands remain in public hands.

That same commitment to collaboration was reflected in the formation of new bipartisan caucuses in Congress, efforts that TRCP helped propel forward by working closely with key lawmakers to grow membership and support early momentum. In the House, lawmakers from both parties launched the Public Lands Caucus to advance common-ground solutions that protect access, habitat, and America’s public lands legacy. In the Senate, the creation of the bipartisan Stewardship Caucus further reinforced the principle that conservation succeeds when leaders work together for the common good – and commit to increasing the pace and scale of stewardship across the public and private lands that hunters and anglers depend on.

Taken together, these underscore the strength of coordinated advocacy and the importance of staying engaged when public lands access and stewardship are on the line

We Expanded Access Through Practical Solutions

Access is fundamental to our outdoor traditions, and 2025 brought continued momentum behind tools that help hunters and anglers navigate the landscape with confidence.

Progress on MAPLand and MAPRoads Acts improved clarity around public access points and legal routes. Continued efforts on the MAPWaters Act advanced a clearer understanding of water access for anglers, while the MAPOceans Act aims to support transparency and access for recreational saltwater fishing.

Together, these initiatives reflect a bipartisan commitment to reduce confusion, avoid conflict, and help people enjoy the outdoors responsibly – proof that progress doesn’t always require sweeping reform to be meaningful.

Read more about how this suite of legislation aims to enhance access to your public lands and waters by digitizing public access records and paper maps HERE.

We Advanced Habitat and Forest Management That Works  

Strong conservation outcomes depend not just on safeguards, but on thoughtful, science-informed management and 2025 saw meaningful progress on both fronts.

Bipartisan momentum behind the Fix Our Forests Act reflected a shared recognition that healthy forests are essential to resilient wildlife habitat, strong fisheries and watershed health, safer communities, and sustained recreational access. This management-first approach mirrors TRCP’s emphasis on solutions that endure beyond a single season or policy cycle.

That same mindset guided progress on the Farm Bill, which added over $15 billion to the conservation baseline. These investments provide stability for private-land conservation programs and support the landowners who play a critical role in sustaining wildlife habitat across the country.

Targeted investments through USDA also advanced efforts to address Chronic Wasting Disease, supporting the long-term health of the big game herds hunters care deeply about.

We Strengthened Wildlife Connectivity and On-the-Ground Conservation

Some of the most tangible conservation gains in 2025 occurred where conservation meets daily life.

State-level investments in wildlife crossing projects, including efforts in Montana and New Mexico, strengthened habitat connectivity while reducing collisions and improving safety for both wildlife and people. These highlight the power of collaboration and the value of durable, locally supported solutions.

We Demonstrated that Conservation is a High-Return Investment  

In 2025, conservation continued to prove its value as a high-return investment for communities, jobs, and economic growth.

A new report showed that investments in fish and wildlife conservation generate significant economic activity nationwide – supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs, contributing billions to GDP, and serving as the bedrock of the $1.1 trillion outdoor recreation economy that many rural and gateway communities depend on.

For hunters, anglers, and community leaders alike, the takeaway is clear: conservation is not only good stewardship – it’s smart economics, delivering significant benefits that support local livelihoods and America’s outdoor heritage.

Read Conservation Economy in America: A Snapshot of Total Fish and Wildlife-Associated Direct Investments and Economic Contributions

We Maintained Focus on Bipartisan, Durable Solutions

Not every policy decision in 2025 aligned with the priorities of hunters and anglers – but those moments only reinforced why persistence matters. They sharpened our resolve to stay engaged, to keep building strong bipartisan coalitions, and to remain vigilant in advocating for balanced, durable, science-based solutions. Guided by our mission, TRCP is more committed than ever to standing up for the lands, waters, wildlife, and sporting traditions that define us.

Even as Washington, D.C. continues to navigate uncertainty, one thing remains evident: conservation advances when hunters, anglers, partners, and decision-makers step into the arena together. Collaboration matters. And showing up – year after year – matters. When we unite, we win.

Courtesy Library of Congress, Motion Picture & Broadcast Virgin Collection, item MP76000126

by: Jaclyn Lunaas

posted in: Menhaden

November 20, 2025

Fact or Fiction: Debunking Gulf Menhaden Industry’s Deceptive Claims

The menhaden reduction industry has frequently and publicly tried to justify its Gulf harvest levels, destructive practices, and fishery management decisions in its favor; here TRCP breaks down its misleading claims

Last week, we posted a similar blog focused on misinformation coming from the menhaden industry on the Atlantic. In this blog, we’ll focus on misinformation peddled by the industry in the Gulf.

The menhaden reduction industry has benefitted from recent decisions affecting fisheries management on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts – with science-based cuts to catch quota being ignored and buffers that protect nearshore habitat and reduce bycatch slated for reduction. These decisions were guided by politics much more than science or public support. And that’s a problem, because menhaden are critically important bait fish that are preyed on by gamefish like redfish and tarpon, and sportfish like speckled trout, jacks, mackerel, and striped bass and serve as a necessary foundation for healthy ecosystems.

Despite these discouraging outcomes, the menhaden industry is seeking public sympathy in interviews with the media and in public hearings, complaining about financial woes and potential industry job cuts while boasting that they are committed to sustainable fisheries and healthy ecosystems. But is any of that actually true?

Recreational anglers and conservationists need to stay informed of the facts in the ongoing debate around menhaden management in the Atlantic and Gulf. Understanding complex fisheries management concepts is also important even when just assessing menhaden reduction industry-generated talking points in the “news” (which often isn’t news at all, as 2025 has seen a landslide of paid placements or “sponsored content,” and claims unvetted by journalists that appear on well-known news websites with only small disclaimers attached).

These misrepresentations matter because they’re already influencing management choices. One of the most consequential – and concerning – developments is happening right now in Louisiana.

Louisiana Moves to Allow Near-Shore Industrial Fishing

Two weeks ago, under industry pressure, the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission (LWFC) voted to proceed with a Notice of Intent to reduce an existing half-mile buffer zone preventing industrial menhaden fishing near Louisiana’s coast to just a quarter-mile in most locations. This decision disregarded data that show the half-mile buffer is preventing fish kills that waste hundreds of thousands of menhaden (more commonly called “pogies” in the Gulf) as well as thousands of redfish and other pogy predators annually. It also largely ignored a recent study that showed industry bycatch of redfish and other important gamefish species is more likely in shallower, near-shore waters.

Below are menhaden reduction industry claims we’ve seen in the media and/or in public meetings recently that require clarification.

Industry Propaganda in the Gulf

Industry Claim (from LWFC meeting on Nov. 6): “The current buffer zone is cutting profits and workers’ jobs are at risk. Our fleet can’t catch enough fish elsewhere besides the area within a half-mile from shore to make enough money to maintain our financial performance.“

This claim is blatantly false, according to NOAA Fisheries data.

The menhaden industry has not provided concrete economic evidence for why the half-mile buffers should be reduced. They caught essentially the same number of fish in 2024 and 2025 while the buffers were in place as they did in 2020 and 2021 without the buffers. Further, since 2024, the value of their menhaden landings has actually increased by $60 million. And, in 2025 before even counting October’s harvest, the industry has already exceeded its 2024 catch by 93 million pounds.

The industry is not only clearly catching plenty of fish, since they weren’t complaining about having to cut jobs in 2020 and 2021, they are also increasing their total revenue as the value of each fish caught is higher than ever.

The industry is allowed to fish anywhere else besides inside the small buffer zone within a half-mile from shore (and a wider buffer of 1-3-miles in a few small areas off public beaches). Not only do they have full access to every other expanse of water in the Gulf and most areas inside Breton and Chandeleur Sounds besides this tiny, fragile nearshore area, but they have no limit to how many fish they can catch each year. Logic would dictate that they should be able to catch plenty of fish elsewhere, and that implying that the strip of area between ¼ and ½ mile from shore will make or break their financial performance is a sign of greed rather than need.

Industry Claim: “The results of a 2024 bycatch study funded by Louisiana ‘reaffirm what decades of science have consistently shown: Louisiana’s Gulf menhaden fishery is sustainable, selective, and not a threat to red drum populations.’”

This claim is short-sighted.

While the industry catches fewer non-target species than the maximum legal bycatch rate of 5 percent by weight, they are still catching more than 146 million fish as bycatch annually, according to the 2024 data, including more than 30,000 redfish (22,000 of which are spawning size, which is illegal for all Louisiana anglers).

In the areas where industry wants to roll back the buffers, redfish bycatch is highest during the spawning season from August-October, with up to 50 percent of the female redfish caught as bycatch actively spawning. The loss of redfish spawning potential to the state with even less protection in those areas could be very detrimental to overall redfish numbers as Louisiana tries to increase the redfish populations coast-wide.

In addition, the pogy industry kills 240,000-plus speckled trout , 81 million croaker, 25 million white trout, and 12 million spot each year. These are species not just sought by recreational anglers but also forage species that Louisiana predators rely on. So, the menhaden industry not only impacts the menhaden population itself, but populations of many other forage species critical to the ecosystem.

Industry Claim: “The fishery harvests less than 2 percent of the total Gulf menhaden biomass – helping to maintain ecological balance while preserving a key food source for marine predators.”

This claim does not tell the full story.

This assertion misrepresents what “total biomass” actually means and how fishing impacts the menhaden population. This claim is relevant for all ages of menhaden — from juveniles to spawning-capable adults — but the industry targets adult fish. If you consider how much of the spawning stock is removed each year, rather than total biomass, it becomes clear that the industry harvests a much higher percentage of the adult menhaden population.

In fact, based on the 2024 Gulf menhaden stock assessment, between 2013-2023 the industry removed between 12-27 percent of the age-1+ biomass, and between 36-70 percent of the age-2+ biomass. Gulf menhaden don’t fully mature for two years, but nearly a quarter of the annual catch also includes fish that have escaped the marsh nursery grounds but have not yet spawned. Also, 70 percent of the harvest for the entire Gulf comes from Louisiana state waters. That level of localized depletion has not been studied to analyze its effects.

Comparing menhaden harvest to total biomass including fish less than one year old underestimates the pressure the fishery puts on the harvestable stock. This downplays the true ecological impact of the fishery because it ignores age structure, recruitment, and the proportion of adult fish removed from the population each year.

Next Steps

We know fisheries science and management definitions, concepts, and outcomes can be hard for anyone to understand, making it difficult to determine the best decisions for fisheries we care about. We encourage you to reach out to TRCP if any fisheries jargon ever needs to be better explained to help protect menhaden and the sportfish that depend on them.

Stay tuned for information about how you can weigh in on upcoming menhaden management decisions to shape where the fishery is headed. Learn more about these small fish with a mighty purpose by visiting TRCP’s Forage Fish Recovery Page

Banner image courtesy David Mangum

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