Assessment

Gulf menhaden are short lived fish, about 3 years, and produce billions of offspring annually, which allows the population to easily replenish itself each year.  While the sheer volume of menhaden harvested and  reported each year in the Gulf of Mexico is quite impressive, it pales in comparison to the total number actually occurring in the Gulf.  For example, the total population for age-1 and older gulf menhaden at the beginning of 2004 (prior to the 2005 hurricanes) was estimated to be about 36.3 billion fish, and the total number of fish removed from the Gulf of Mexico for reduction was estimated to be about 5.3 billion fish or 14.6% of the total population.  The NMFS conducts an assessment for the gulf menhaden stock approximately every five years.  The most recent assessment indicates that the Gulf of Mexico menhaden stock is, in fact, healthy and not overfished, nor is overfishing occurring.

Click the image below to view the complete 2007 assessment by Dr. Doug Vaughan and others from NOAA.

Note:  If you do not have the latest Adobe Acrobat Reader, please use the link provided to download it.