Atlantic menhaden (Brevoortia tyrannus) - Information and Fishery
Link to Menhaden Hearing and more pictures and Link to New York Times Op Ed Menhaden Comment
Atlantic menhaden are members of one of the most economically
and ecologically important families of fishes (Clupeidae), which includes herrings, shad, anchovies, and sardines. Atlantic menhaden (Brevoortia tyrannus)
is found in coastal
and estuarine waters from Nova Scotia to northern Florida. Atlantic menhaden undergo
a coast-wide (along the coast of the Eastern United States) migration.
They are considerably larger than their Gulf of Mexico menhaden cousins (Brevoortia patronus). On their northerly spring migration, the schools stratify by size and
age along the coast so that by the summer, younger and smaller fish are
found in the Chesapeake Bay and south, while the older, larger fish are
distributed to the north. The menhaden return to the shelf waters during
fall, forced out of estuaries by cooling temperature conditions they find
intolerable. Atlantic menhaden are characteristically numerous and form
large, dense schools that serve as prey for many predatory species. There are also two less-important menhaden speces in US waters and additional ones in South America.
Most spawning activity occurs during winter off the North Carolina and
Virginia coasts. Larvae appear in the Chesapeake Bay in large numbers during
May and June, with a smaller influx in November. The larvae are transported
to the brackish waters of the Bay, which they use as nursery areas. It
is here they transform into the filter-feeding fish much as they appear
as adults. By late summer, the juveniles reach a length of 4 inches and
leave the nursery area to join the adult population. Tagging studies performed
in the 1970s suggest Atlantic menhaden exist in a single unit stock, which
migrates on a yearly basis. Atlantic menhaden play an important ecological
role. As adults, menhaden are common in all salinities of the Chesapeake
Bay, swimming in large schools close to the water’s surface. Feeding
on both phytoplankton and zooplankton, menhaden can reach a length of 15
inches. Menhaden serve as prey for many fish and birds species. The menhaden
fishery is one of the most productive fisheries on the Atlantic coast,
providing fish meal, fish oil, and fish solubles, as well as bait for other
fisheries. A majority of catches come from estuaries and near-shore coastal
state waters, and are caught with a variety of gear (Source:
Peyton Robertson, NOAA, Testimony).
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Free Pictures: menhaden fishing operations, boats, research center and processing plant
 01_figb0098-1.jpg Haul-seine fishing for menhaden at Long Island |
 02great_wicomico_reedville_va1.jpg Menhaden fishing vessel Great Wicomico underway near Reedville, VA with seine skiffs secured onboard |
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 03agreat_wicomico_5.jpg Menhaden fishing vessel Great Wicomico underway near Reedville, VA with seine skiffs secured onboard |
 04menhadenfishing.jpg Menhaden purse seine skiffs of the FV TIDEWLAND in the Chesapeake Bay near Reedville, Virginia |
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 06menhadenfishing.jpg Menhaden purse seine skiffs of the FV TIDELAND in the Chesapeake Bay near Reedville, Virginia |
 07menhadenfishing.jpg Menhaden purse seine skiffs of the FV TIDELAND in the Chesapeake Bay near Reedville, Virginia |
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 09menhadenfishing.jpg Menhaden purse seine skiff of the FV TIDELAND in the Chesapeake Bay near Reedville, Virginia |
 10menhadenfishing.jpg Menhaden fishing vessel EARL J. CONRAD, JR. idling near seine skiffs of the FV TIDELAND in the Chesapeake Bay near Reedville, Virginia |
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 14_menhadeninseine.jpg Menhaden fishing - menhaden in pursed seine, ready to be pumped aboard the primary vessel |
 15fish0696.jpg Menhaden being pumped into hold of menhaden fishing vessel |
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 16fish0697.jpg Menhaden in hold of menhaden fishing vessel |
 17fish0698.jpg Menhaden being pumped from hold of menhaden fishing vessel |
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 18_unloadingmenhaden.jpg Unloading Menhaden. Menhaden being pumped from hold of menhaden fishing vessel |
 19_unloadingmenhaden.jpg Unloading Menhaden. Menhaden being pumped from hold of menhaden fishing vessel |
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 080507140058omegaprotein.jpg Sign at entrance to Omega Protein, Inc. complex in Reedville, Virginia, USA |
 080507125527omegaprotein.jpg Menhaden fishing vessel KIMBERLY docked at the Omega Protein, Inc. complex in Reedville, Virginia, USA |
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 080507125624omegaprotein.jpg Seine skiffs of a menhaden fishing vessel docked at the Omega Protein, Inc. complex in Reedville, Virginia |
 080507125650omegaprotein.jpg Menhaden fishing vessel TANGIER ISLAND docked at the Omega Protein, Inc. complex in Reedville, Virginia |
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 080507125705omegaprotein.jpg Menhaden fishing vessel KIMBERLY docked at the Omega Protein, Inc. complex in Reedville, Virginia, USA |
 080507125743omegaprotein.jpg Seine skiffs of the menhaden fishing vessel EARL J. CONRAD, JR. docked at the Omega Protein, Inc. complex in Reedville, Virginia, USA |
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 080507125803omegaprotein.jpg Seine skiff of the menhaden fishing vessel EARL J. CONRAD, JR. docked at the Omega Protein, Inc. complex in Reedville, Virginia, USA |
 080507130006omegaprotein.jpg Menhaden fishing vessel TANGIER ISLAND docked at the Omega Protein, Inc. complex in Reedville, Virginia |
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 080507130220omegaprotein.jpg Menhaden fishing vessel LANCASTER docked at the Omega Protein, Inc. complex in Reedville, Virginia |
 34omegaproteinreedville.jpg Omega Protein Health and Science Center at the Omega Protein, Inc. complex in Reedville, Virginia |
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 080507090358omegaprotein.jpg Laboratory at Omega Protein Health and Science Center at the Omega Protein, Inc. complex in Reedville, Virginia |
 080507092116omegaprotein.jpg Distilling area: Omega Protein Health and Science Center at the Omega Protein, Inc. complex in Reedville, Virginia |
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 080507092714omegaprotein.jpg Loading Dock: Omega Protein Health and Science Center at the Omega Protein, Inc. complex in Reedville, Virginia |
 080507093537omegaprotein.jpg Computerized control center at the Omega Protein Health and Science Center at the Omega Protein, Inc. complex in Reedville, Virginia |
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 080507093648omegaprotein.jpg Computerized control center at the Omega Protein Health and Science Center at the Omega Protein, Inc. complex in Reedville, Virginia |
 080507124313omegaprotein.jpg Menhaden oil holding tanks at the Omega Protein, Inc. complex in Reedville, Virginia |
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 080507124715omegaprotein.jpg Landmark smoke stack about to be demolished at the Omega Protein, Inc. complex in Reedville, Virginia |
 080507124744omegaprotein.jpg Office at the Omega Protein, Inc. complex in Reedville, Virginia |
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 080507125841omegaprotein.jpg Menhaden vessel unloading facility at the Omega Protein, Inc. complex in Reedville, Virginia |
 080507125853omegaprotein.jpg Menhaden vessel unloading facility at the Omega Protein, Inc. complex in Reedville, Virginia |
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 080507125902omegaprotein.jpg Retired or resting menhaden fishing vessels docked across from the Omega Protein, Inc. complex in Reedville, Virginia |
 080507125929omegaprotein.jpg Looking out to the Chesapeake Bay from the Omega Protein, Inc. complex in Reedville, Virginia |
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 080507125938omegaprotein.jpg Landmark smoke stack about to be demolished, and the main plant area, at the Omega Protein, Inc. complex in Reedville, Virginia |
 080507125942omegaprotein.jpg Menhaden vessel unloading facility at the Omega Protein, Inc. complex in Reedville, Virginia |
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 080507130025omegaprotein.jpg Work boat used for painting and maintenance of menhaden fishing vessels docked at the Omega Protein, Inc. complex in Reedville, Virginia, USA |
 080507130122omegaprotein.jpg Seine skiff of menhaden fishing vessel FV TANGIER ISLAND on davits at the Omega Protein, Inc. complex in Reedville, Virginia, USA |
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 080507131005omegaprotein.jpg Oyster shell preparation area acrss from the Omega Protein, Inc. complex in Reedville, Virginia |
 57_cfiles23471.jpg Menhaden purse seiner SEA FALCON on the State Highway 23 Empire, LA |