The Commission’s Atlantic Menhaden Management Board moved forward exploring a new course for menhaden management, incorporating sound science. It has charged its Technical Committee to address outstanding issues associated with the ecological role of menhaden in the Chesapeake Bay and the feasibility of incorporating ecosystem-based management approaches into the menhaden plan.

These actions are a result of the Commission’s Atlantic Menhaden Workshop held on October 12 – 14, 2004. The workshop brought together state, federal, and university scientists to discuss the ecological role of Atlantic menhaden, the effects of concentrated harvest in the Chesapeake Bay, and possible management measures. Representatives from the environmental, commercial, and recreational stakeholder groups helped plan and participated in the workshop. The scientific workshop participants developed a list of consensus statements and recommendations for Board consideration. The Workshop Report will be finalized over the next few weeks and will be available on the Commission’s website at http://www.asmfc.org . 

Over the next several months, the Technical Committee will be conducting an analysis of a suite of research and management issues. Topping the list will be a determination as to whether localized depletion of menhaden stocks in Chesapeake Bay is occurring or likely to occur under current management of the coast-wide stock of menhaden. Other issues include identifying the likely causes of low recruitment of menhaden in Chesapeake Bay; evaluating ecological reference points and recruitment indices for the Bay; and determining whether the effects of time and space openings or closures and harvest caps can be modeled, measured, or monitored well enough to be considered for management tools.

1. The staff was directed to examine existing multi-species and ecosystem based fishery management plans for forage species and provide a summary of the management objectives, reference points and monitoring involved in implementing these management plans.
2. The Technical Committee was directed to:
   1. Advise the Management Board on the feasibility of applying the multi-species or ecosystem based management summarized by the staff from existing management plans.
   2. Advise the Management Board on the likely causes for low recruitment in Chesapeake Bay and a comparison of recruitment trends in other estuaries along the coast.
   3. Review the stock assessment model; evaluate the issues of inverse catchability, weighting factors for recruitment indices, and total mortality and advise the management Board on the inclusion of ecological reference points in the model.
   4. Evaluate ecological reference points and recruitment indices for Chesapeake Bay and advise the Management Board on the incorporation of Chesapeake Bay values in the stock assessment model or whether a separate stock assessment model can be developed for Chesapeake Bay.
   5. Evaluate whether the effects of time and space openings/closures of fishing and harvest caps in Chesapeake Bay and coastwide can be modeled, measured, or monitored well enough to be considered for management tools.
   6. Advise the Management Board if localized depletion of menhaden stocks in Chesapeake Bay is occurring or likely to occur under current management of the coastwide stock of menhaden.  (highest priority)
3. The Atlantic Menhaden Management Board recommends to the ISFMP Policy Board to establish a Multispecies Technical Committee for the purpose of continued review and consideration of multispecies management.

The Atlantic Menhaden Management Board desires to have a preliminary report by the Staff and Technical Committee by the August 2005 ASMFC Meeting Week.  The Board will meet jointly with the Technical Committee at the February 2005 ASMFC Meeting Week to develop revised goals and objectives for menhaden management to incorporate ecologically based reference points in the stock assessment and management measures for menhaden.