Gulf of Maine Menhaden

In the public comments from the October ADMFC Menhaden meeting, there were several comments from commercial fishermen who harvest menhaden and provide bait for the lobster fishery. There was a common thread about there being an increase in the abundance of menhaden in the Gulf of Maine. I emailed them and I got this reply from Kimberly Matthews. Now fishermen always say there’s a lot of fish out there, just raise their quotas, but I want to believe things are getting better.

Good afternoon Bruce,
I’m glad you reached out, and I apologize for the delay in responding. I did forward your information to my Rhode Island consultant, Rich Fuka, who handles some of my business matters there. I thought you might already have a relationship with him.

Our main port is Portsmouth, NH, and we also participate in a short early summer season in Gloucester, MA. Our season generally runs from May 1 through Thanksgiving, and we fish federal waters from New Hampshire to New Jersey. I also work closely with the Maine menhaden fleet and can give a fairly comprehensive overview of what we saw this season from NJ to ME. A quick summary- 

The biggest takeaway: bunker of all sizes were present both inshore and offshore in New England this season. Typically, in May in Massachusetts/NH, we see consistent runs of 11-inch-plus fish before the biomass shifts north to Maine by mid-June and leaves. The Maine fleet continued to catch larger fish into the fall.

This year, the fish started on the larger end of average but still below the usual 11 inches and progressively got smaller as the season went on, especially closer to shore. I do believe that mid coast Maine and Down-east Maine saw the largest fish for the longest duration again this year.

Our pilot has been fish spotting for decades and he couldn’t believe the amount of fish he saw in New England this summer. He would fly 30 miles off shore and never run out of fish. They certainly behaved differently this year. 

One important point for conservation-minded folks: lobster fishermen will not touch menhaden under 8 inches. We cannot sell smaller fish so we don’t set on small fish, we leave them alone and move elsewhere. I’d like to think that helps with population growth. 

The New England fleet is also highly restricted in how, when, and where we fish. Most operations are relatively small, which results in boats taking a small piece of a biomass before it moves on and the next one comes through to go to work on. This spares that particular school from being caught entirely at once as a larger operation is able to do. The remaining fish in the school can continue migrating on their journeys. 

One additional observation: through family connections in New Brunswick, Canada, we heard reports of unusually large amounts of menhaden showing up in weirs, and also that the herring seiner fleet struggled to stay out of the menhaden at times. This appears to be new behavior. Canada does not currently have a menhaden fishery or clear regulations in place, and this could become a serious issue. In Canada herring stocks and quotas are in decline and they are seeking alternative bait options such as menhaden. Keep an eye on this with me. 

I also hope you connect with NEFSA—they are professional, well-informed, and effective. 

I’m hoping to work with them ahead of next fall’s meeting in Delaware.

Finally, this issue is personal for me. My husband is a seventh-generation fisherman, with several generations before him seining herring as well. We lost that industry largely due to government mismanagement. Our seven-year-old son would be generation eight, and I worry there will be nothing left for him. This doesn’t just affect my livelihood—it weighs heavily on my heart and mind.

Hope this helps,
Kimberly

We see schools of peanut bunker (juvenile menhaden) migrate through here in the fall, moving south. I contacted marine fisheries people in ME & MA asking if they see any peanut bunker in their area, and neither one had seen any. One said that the older, more fecund females spawn over a longer period of time. So, the peanut bunker that we see in the fall must be ones that hatch in Narragansett Bay. Since they spawn at sea, and normally in the fall, some of them might be spawning as they pass on their migration south in the fall. (just guessing).  I was hoping to find that menhaden are spawning in the Gulf of ME, but it’s not happening yet.

I live in Pt. Judith, RI, and I would think that if there were all these menhaden in Maine, we would see them here when they  migrate south. Kimberly mentions that her spotting pilot sees schools of menhaden 30 miles out, so maybe these schools migrate further out and we don’t see them. I don’t know when, but in the last few years it was found that there was a large population of menhaden wintering in the NY Bight area and the boats from OP in VA are travelling 250 miles to harvest them. Could these be from the same population that are seen in ME?

 I shared her letter with Fred Akers and he did some research and found the following:

“While there is no single scientific consensus that the 2012 catch limit caused a northward expansion, experts agree it significantly contributed to a population rebound that allowed Atlantic menhaden to return to their historic northern range.
Key factors in the northern expansion include:
Catch Limit Impact: In December 2012, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) established the first coast-wide catch limit (Amendment 2), which reduced harvest by roughly 25%. This left approximately 300 million more fish in the ocean annually, fueling a rapid recovery.
Range Reoccupation: As the population grew from its 2011 record lows, the fish began reoccupying northern waters where they had been absent for decades. By 2024, researchers noted that their range was expanding into areas as far north as Maine and Canada.
Increased Availability: Recent data from the ASMFC indicates that bait landings in northern states have increased specifically because of “increased menhaden availability in the northern part of the species’ range” following these management changes.
Environmental Factors: While the catch limits provided the “fuel” for expansion by increasing the number of fish, warming ocean temperatures are also frequently cited by scientists as a complementary driver pushing the species further north.

So, I think it is fair to say that the 25% harvest reduction in 2012 caused a rebound of the menhaden population, which was eventually reduced by increased harvest levels. So another more significant harvest reduction should have a similar result.”

Fred’s last comment about “another more significant harvest reduction should have a similar result” concurs with the population dynamics expert saying our approach was “spot on.”

I also asked Grok 4 AI if the 2012 imposition of TAC limits on menhaden resulted expansion norhward and got the following response, “Yes, the 2012 imposition of coastwide catch limits (the first Total Allowable Catch or TAC, implemented in 2013 via ASMFC Amendment 2) influenced the northward expansion—or more precisely, the recovery and increased abundance of Atlantic menhaden (Brevoortia tyrannus) in the northern parts of their historic range.” The full answer is here. (link).