Atlantic menhaden
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The Atlantic menhaden (Brevoortia tyrannus) is a silvery, highly compressed fish in the herring family, Clupeidae.[Brevoortia tyrannus (TSN 161732)]. Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Accessed on 30 January 2006."[Brevoortia tyrannus]." FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. 10 2005 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2005. A filter feeder, it lives on plankton caught in midwater. An adult fish can filter up to four gallons of water a minute and they play an important role in clarifying ocean water. They are also a natural check to the deadly red tide. Extensive article on the role of menhaden in the ecosystem and possible results of overfishing.
Menhaden occur in large numbers in the North Atlantic, ranging from Nova Scotia, Canada to central Florida, USA. They swim in large schools, some reportedly up to 40 miles long. As a result of their abundance they are important prey for a wide range of predators including bluefish, cod, haddock, halibut, mackerel, swordfish, and tuna.
Fishing
The Atlantic menhaden is popular for use as live or dead bait. It can be caught with nets only. The fish is notorious for its rapid deterioration when caught, as well as its bony and oily makeup. As a result, they are primarily used for the production of Fish meal, oil and fertilizer. It is likely the fish that Squanto taught the Pilgrims to bury alongside freshly planted seeds as fertiliser. It went on to be used for this purpose on a large scale on farmland on the Atlantic coast, though this process was stopped after it was realized that the oily fish parched the soil.
In recent years their population is considered to be sustainable coastwide, though a possibility for a localized depletion exists in the Chesapeake Bay due to a concentrated harvest.ASMFC 2005
Also called pogy, mossbunker, bug fish, alewife, shad, greasetail, and fat back.
References
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