The Gulf menhaden (Brevoortia patronus) is a small marine filter-feeding fish. Common names include pogie and shad. It is small oily-fleshed fish, bright silver in color and characterized by a large prominent black spot followed by a series of smaller spots. Menhaden are flat, have soft flesh, and a deeply forked tail. Gulf menhaden are commonly 8 to 12 inches long and vary in weight. Gulf menhaden have a 3 to 5 year lifespan.

Gulf menhaden are found from Florida to Texas but predominately centered around the Louisiana coast and Mississippi River and Atchafalaya River estuaries where nutrients and plankton are high. As a result of coastal land loss, inland waterways are much larger now resulting in more area for Gulf menhaden to reproduce and thrive along the Louisiana coast. Adult and juvenile Gulf menhaden form large, dense, near-surface schools primarily in estuaries and near shore water from early spring through fall.

Gulf menhaden is considered an important species of the marine ecosystem due to its productivity. An adult Gulf menhaden can release more than 350,000 eggs in a single year. Gulf menhaden play a central role in the coastal ecosystem of the Northern Gulf of Mexico. Gulf menhaden are high-quality forage fish, meaning they transfer energy from primary producers (such as algae and phytoplankton) to upper trophic levels, providing predators with nutrients, vitamins and oil.

NO. Gulf menhaden are not considered suitable for human consumption. Gulf menhaden are too oily and bony.

The commercial Gulf menhaden industry uses the purse seine fishing system to harvest the resource. This method is less likely to result in large amounts of incidental bycatch or cause damage to the ocean floor. Here is the process:

• Spotting: The fishing vessel first uses a spotter plane to locate a school of menhaden. The school is typically located by looking for birds diving into the water or color change in the water indicating a large school of fish.
• Setting the net: Once the school is located, the fishing vessel positions itself around the school and encircles it with a purse seine net which is closed at the bottom forming a large "purse" or bag.
• Hauling in the catch: The fishing vessel then uses a winch to haul in the purse seine and the fish it has captured. The fish are then transferred onto the boat using a vaccum pump which seperates the fish catch from any other larger species caught like turtles, sharks or dolphins so they may be returned to the water.
• Sorting and processing: Onboard the fishing vessel, the catch is sorted by size using a system of grates called bycatch reduction devices (BRDs), a voluntary method used by commercial Gulf menhaden industry to separate any bycatch of non-target species, particularly sea turtles and marine mammals that may have been incidentially entangled in the fishing net. The Gulf menhaden catch is then carried onboard to the onshore fishing plant where they are processed.

A March 2022, economic study funded by the Science Center for Marine Fisheries, National Science Foundation, shows that the menhaden fishery in Louisiana and Mississippi generates $419 million in yearly economic output while supporting 2,059 direct and indirect jobs. It also found that the industry generates around $25 million in state and local tax revenues. Wages surpassing $50,000 per year, alongside benefits. As essential sources of stable income, the two Louisiana menhaden processing plants play a vital role in supporting families within these rural communities.

YES. Louisiana’s menhaden industry is rigidly monitored and regulated by numerous federal and state bodies including: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS),Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission (GSMFC), Louisiana State Legislature, and the State of Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF). The industry is certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), a credible third-party non-profit organization that sets standards for sustainable fishing which must demonstrate they are well-managed and sustainable compared to the MSC’s rigorous standards. Together, these agencies ensure the highest standards of environmental excellence and the protection of the menhaden resource. 

Since 1964, NMFS has had access to the catch at each of the processing plants for biostatistical and stock assessment purposes. menhaden companies report daily vessel unloads to the NMFS on a daily or weekly basis throughout the seven-month fishing season. Vessel captains complete Captain’s Daily Fishing Reports, the daily logs of each vessel’s activities which include an at-sea catch estimate, fishing location, set duration and weather conditions for each and every set. Compliance is 100% and they are provided to NMFS on a weekly or bi-weekly basis throughout the fishing season. Beginning in May 2023, the menhaden industry began reporting monthly to LDWF on location, estimated volume of harvest and length measurements specified by the department. In 2024, LDWF will begin annual reporting to the Louisiana State Legislature on the commercial menhaden harvests.

Regulated State Lines Separating Louisiana's Inside/Outside Waters: Louisiana’s state waters are divided into inside and outside waters for management purposes using two lines, the “Inside/Outside Shrimp Line” and “Double Rig Line”. The state uses this line to regulate several fishing sectors including the Menhaden Industry. These lines follow the coastline from Texas to Mississippi. Waters landward of these two lines are inside waters; waters seaward out are outside waters. The Menhaden Industry has for decades being limited to fish only in the outside waters. Because of Louisiana’s dynamic coastline of ever-changing marshes, barrier islands, deltas and bays, there are significant areas of water restricted from being fished. Our neighboring coastal states do not have similarly restricted inland waters.

3-Mile Buffer Zone Around Grand Isle: For over a decade, the Menhaden Industry took proactive steps to protect Grand Isle by maintaining a voluntary 3-mile buffer zone to minimize its impact on this inhabited barrier island’s coastal community. This buffer zone begins at the eastern shore of Belle Pass to the eastern shore of Caminada Pass requiring a 1-mile buffer, the area from the eastern shore of Caminada Pass to the eastern shore of Barataria Pass requiring a 3-mile buffer along Grand Isle, and the area from the eastern shore of Barataria Pass to the eastern end of Grand Terre Island requiring a 1-mile buffer. This 3-mile buffer zone around Grand Isle exceeds other neighboring states. Westbank Fishing fully supported this buffer zone being codified into state law last year.

1/4-Mile Buffer Zone Coastwide: In 2022, the LWFC enacted an additional ¼-mile buffer zone from the “Inside/Outside Shrimp Line” and “Double Rig Line”. There was no environmental or scientific reason to justify this decision. It was done to address the user conflict issue that the recreational and for-charter fishing community has unjustifiably created to blame our industry for their overfishing. It is a higher and more restrictive standard than any other Louisiana commercial fishery.

‍Abandonment of Purse Seine Gear: In 2022, the State of Louisiana established rules to prohibit the waste of fishery resources and abandonment of menhaden purse seine gear during fishing operations, including: a 48-hour window to remove all gear before it is considered abandoned, gear marking requirements to facilitate retrieval and warn of navigational hazards, require notification to LDWF within 2 hours of any release of menhaden, require reasonable attempts to retrieve menhaden and bycatch from the environment in the event of a release, and define civil fines for commercial littering violation. 

‍Bycatch Restriction: The State of Louisiana restricts bycatch to no more than 5% by weight, of any species other than menhaden and herring-like species. 

‍Close the Season: If it was determined that the menhaden was being overfished, LDWF has powers under Louisiana Revised Statues Title 56 through its commission to close finfish seasons. 

The estimated menhaden population is over 124 billion fish. The menhaden reduction fishing industry’s landings account for only about 1 to 2% of the total estimated menhaden population. 

Louisiana’s regulated menhaden fishing season is only 7 months (April – October) allowing the stock to reproduce and replenish itself. Westbank Fishing voluntarily shares Louisiana coastal waters with recreational boaters and fisherman by limiting fishing to weekdays and doesn’t fish on major holidays.

NO. According to GSMFC’s most recent 2021 Stock Assessment Report, menhaden is “neither overfished nor experiencing overfishing” and there is “little risk” of it occurring. According to the GSMFC, population growth of the menhaden stock is believed to be reliant more on prevailing environmental and oceanographic factors during crucial development periods, such as the egg and larval stage, rather than biomass of mature females in the stock. The stock assessment is conducted every three years. The next stock assessment will be in 2024. In the event a single season results in menhaden landings of more than 750,000 tons, an automatic stock assessment will be triggered for the following year.  

According to NMFS, in a June 7, 2023, letter to Louisiana Senate Natural Resources Committee Chairman State Senator Bob Hensgens, the menhaden stock is healthy, and it is unlikely that overfishing is occurring. According to LDWF, Menhaden are not overfished.   
Studies dating back to 1977 when there were many more vessels involved in harvesting menhaden also prove that fact. Moreover, in 2019 the menhaden fishery was certified “sustainable” by the MSC. This certification came after more than two years of detailed review by an independent assessment body, extensive peer and stakeholder input and the final approval of an independent analyst. 

The federal government enacted the Magnuson-Stevens Act to promote the U.S. fishing industry’s optimal exploitation of coastal fisheries to achieve maximum sustainable yields under existing environmental conditions.

NO. Demands for even more regulation have no merit. A May 2021 study published in Conservation Biology concluded that adopting extra-precautionary catch limits on forage species like menhaden is unlikely to result in higher predator populations. A similar 2017 study published in Fisheries Research, found that increases in predator populations were not correlated with increases in forage abundance, that forage species are much more affected by the environment than by fishing and that predators target small forage fish that are generally unaffected by fishing. 

Today, only two menhaden fishing fleets and processing plants operate in Louisiana (Westbank Fishing/ Daybrook Fisheries and Omega Protein). Over the last 70 years, the industry has shrunk considerably. During the menhaden industry’s peak in 1984, there were more than 80 boats fishing in Louisiana coastal waters. Today there are approximately 30 boats operating. 

According to analysis conducted by the Science Center for Marine Fisheries in March 2022, using raw catch data based upon Captain’s Daily Fishing Reports (CDFR) submitted to NMFS for years 2015 to 2019, 19.1% of the total menhaden catch is caught within 0.5 miles of Louisiana/ Mississippi coasts.

Menhaden Catch by Miles from Shore (CDFR Data 2015-2019)

Creating an exclusion zone within 0.5 miles from shore would have dire economic impacts, impacting 410 jobs that total $36.8 million in annual income. The menhaden industry is a marginal business with operational fixed costs including fuel, maintenance and crew. Few businesses could survive a nearly 20% cut in revenue. Pushing the industry further offshore will drive up costs, putting good paying jobs and Louisiana coastal communities at risk, including a loss of $5 million in annual business generated taxes.

Economic Impacts: Menhaden Industry in Louisiana and Mississippi by Miles from Shore

The commercial menhaden industry is a low margin business and subject to market fluctuation. While sunk operating costs can be amortized, profitability is not guaranteed as no fishing season is the same. Fishing further offshore will lead to higher operating costs including increased fuel and equipment costs and increased risks for fishermen including longer working hours and safety concerns in deeper water. These factors will affect profitability and long-term sustainability for the industry. The menhaden industry supports over 2,000 good paying jobs in communities where it is getting harder and harder to make a living. Why put these jobs at risk when all available science shows that the menhaden industry is not to blame when it is recreational fishermen who are overfishing finfish.

Louisiana’s menhaden reduction fishery provides upwards of 40% of the nation’s menhaden. But menhaden is a global commodity, making passing costs on to consumers nearly impossible. We are a price taker, not a price setter. If we raised prices, we would not influence the cost of the market. 

NO. According to the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission, harmful algal blooms like red tide are mostly the result of increased nutrients flowing down rivers into the Gulf, not a lack of planktivorous fish. Many bays and estuaries in the U.S. are polluted with an overabundance of nitrogen and phosphorus that comes from runoff from land. These substances come from fertilizers, detergents, and other chemicals that find their way into coastal waters and, along with sunlight, feed the phytoplankton populations until they expand to huge numbers. As these dense blooms die, they sink and begin to decompose, stripping the oxygen from the water. The result of this decomposition is hypoxic water conditions or dead zones, the largest being in the northern Gulf every summer. Menhaden do not have the capacity to reduce unwanted phytoplankton blooms that arise from manmade sources, primarily because they eat mostly zooplankton. Menhaden are sensitive to environmental stressors and will avoid hypoxic areas like the Gulf dead zone. Studies have shown that they have little impact on water quality - and may even add more nutrients to the water than they remove.

Commercial menhaden reduction fishing is known to result in some incidental bycatch of finfish, although the amount can vary depending on the fishing method used, the location, and other factors. According to a 2020 LDWF analysis, estimated incidental bycatch rates of speckled trout are less than one tenth of one percent. For red drum, the estimate is 2.1%. The State of Louisiana restricts bycatch to no more than 5% by weight, of any species other than menhaden and herring-like species.    To further analyze the issue, the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission is conducting a $1 million study to sample and describe both released and retained, non-target species from purse seines during the regular 28-week fishing season (April - November). As the commercial menhaden industry’s regulatory body, it is imperative that this study be conducted before any arbitrary restrictions are instituted. Science should guide this process, not politics. 

The menhaden industry peaked in 1984, with more than 80 boats operating, catching over 980,000 metric tons. When compared to NOAA’s last data for recreational fishing in 2013, only 497,500 metric tons of menhaden were caught. Meanwhile, the recreational fishing sector’s angler trips and landings of red drum and speckled trout has skyrocketed between 1984 and 2013. Extrapolating this exponential growth over the last ten years would indicate that the rapid proliferation in the recreational fishery would indicate it may be the cause of pressure on the speckled trout and red drum species.

Gulf Menhaden Landings

NO. According to a 2021 study by the Science Center for Marine Fisheries, for many menhaden predator species, like speckled trout and red drum, extra-precautionary management of forage fish is unlikely to bring additional benefits. The study found that sustainable limits already employed are sufficient for maintaining forage fish abundance above thresholds that are necessary for their predators. That is because predators like speckled trout and red drum are highly mobile, have high diet flexibility and can go and look for forage fish in places where they are abundant or eat another species. Predator fish breed in places where there is high and stable forage fish abundance. The menhaden resource is well managed and closely monitored. Pressure on speckled trout and red drum species populations is not because of menhaden reduction fishing. No science says menhaden reduction fishing bycatch is causative of predator issues or impacting the ecosystem. 

NO. This number is more than misleading. Experienced fishery managers have never estimated bycatch for the purse seine fishery anywhere near 3 percent by volume. Most experts agree that the figure is near or less than 1 percent. The CCA Louisiana have extrapolated their false percentages to tens of millions of pounds of "trout, redfish, drum, shrimp, mullet, croaker, catfish, and more" - an example of irresponsible advocacy that would not be accepted by any respectable fisheries scientist. Bycatch of spotted sea trout and red drum from the menhaden fishery average 0.07 percent and 2.1 percent, respectively, when compared to total Louisiana recreational fishing landings of those species, according to a 2020 analysis by the state- hardly enough to have a major impact on those fisheries.  

It is inaccurate and misleading that CCA Louisiana claims this is a “NOAA study.” Only one author is an employee of NOAA. The authors specifically state that this work should NOT be considered the views of any governmental entity. According to LDWF staff, this paper describes a modeling approach to ecosystem-based fisheries management for menhaden but should only be one consideration when developing fisheries management recommendations/decisions. This paper should not be used alone to base management decisions, especially those decisions involving catch advice (e.g., setting an annual harvest limit for menhaden). The authors recommend a multi-model approach, like that utilized for Atlantic menhaden, should be used to inform catch advice in the Gulf fishery.

LDWF staff reviewed this study and interviewed its authors. They made the following conclusions: 

• This study simulates fishing levels at unrealistic levels. Any claims by CCA Louisiana calling for a 20% reduction in menhaden fishing are incorrect. 
• This study should not be assumed to be representative of Spotted Sea trout in Louisiana without more extensive technical review, which the authors have acknowledged is necessary. 
• This study used bycatch data of predator species from research conducted in the 1980s and 1990s when the menhaden industry’s vessel fleet and landings were twice the size of today. The authors acknowledge this data shortfall and that updated bycatch studies are needed.
• The study model indicated that one predatory group (e.g., black drum, croakers, gafftopsail catfish, etc.) was more impacted by commercial menhaden fishing than recreational fishing. But recreational fishing of these species is not large at all and may not be indicative of a need for less commercial menhaden harvest. 
• The study falsely assumes that if there is less menhaden fish available for predators to eat, they would simply have less to eat when in fact there are multitudes of other prey species (e.g., shrimp, crabs, finfish, etc.) available for predators. 
• The authors note that they do not have detailed information on food habits for many species that consume menhaden. That type of information was used in the development of the Atlantic ecosystem model and was collected over many years in multiple sampling programs.
• The study’s model does not have geography included, meaning that the results were averaged across the entire Gulf and not just Louisiana.  

In the study’s own next steps for management considerations, it states that additional data must be obtained to reduce uncertainties in the model, specifically trophic interactions data. Any model must undergo a technical peer review process to help build trust in the process and fine-tune data inputs via a collaborative process including other stakeholders and scientists. 

To lay the groundwork for the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s recently implemented ecosystem model, biologists work began twenty years ago. But Its ecosystem reference points for Atlantic menhaden focused on the needs of striped bass, which is both a major predator and the focus of the coast’s primary recreational fishery. The Gulf has no single species with similar status, meaning multiple fish will need to be thoroughly studied to establish the necessary ecosystem reference points. 

The menhaden fishing industry supports the development and implementation of Ecosystem Based Management. It recognizes the importance of managing marine resources on an ecosystem basis, as all species within the Gulf interact with one another to a varying extent. While there is broad support for, one of the current challenges in adopting this new system is accurately accounting for the complex interactions between predator and prey species. This includes everything from phytoplankton at the base of the food chain, to apex predators like sharks at the top of the pyramid of trophic relationships. 

Establishing an ecosystem model of the Gulf is incredibly complex. This is just one study and should not be the basis for making any final determinations or influence any political considerations to arbitrarily regulate the menhaden industry.