Making Sense of Menhaden -- In the Chesapeake Bay, a fight is raging over a little fish with an outsized importance. is a must-read. This piece from Hakai Magazine presents various perspectives about menhaden and the industry today, considering the environment, competing interests, and the economics of the menhaden fishery.
The menhaden industry in Virginia, as you may know, started in the late 1860s in what became Reedville. Explains Reedville Fisherman’s Museum (history page),
The story of Reedville, Virginia is linked to the commercial fishing industry that developed here in the late 19th century. In 1874 Elijah Reed transferred his menhaden fishing operation from Brooklin, Maine to the Chesapeake Bay. He purchased the land on Cockrell Creek that is now Reedville. The industry flourished, especially in the early part of the 20th century. Today Reedville is one of the major ports for the landing of commercial fish in the United States, second only to Kodiak, Alaska.
Read more: A Brief History of America’s Menhaden Fishery (Saving Seafood), Reedville (Historical Marker Database), Reedville Historic District (Virginia Department of Historic Resources), and Omega Protein Relocates Corporate Headquarters to Reedville, Virginia (press release).
There are several ways to get involved in and be informed about the issue:
- Sign up for the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership newsletter
- Join Menhaden - Little Fish, Big Deal! Facebook group
- Join the Menhaden Defenders Facebook page and/or learn more from the Menhaden Defenders website
Photo Discharging Menhaden from Vessel by Means of Tubs Subject: Menhaden fisheries by unknown author (1904): Aquatic products as fertilizers, Report of the United States Commissioner of Fisheries, 1902, on Wikimedia Commons