It’s Time for a “Reduction” in Reduction Fisheries

 

Recently, legislation was introduced in Louisiana to stop the menhaden reduction fishing industry from damaging fragile nearshore habitat, the lifeblood of the Louisiana Coast.

This bill would keep the pogy boats at least one-half mile from land where the water is shallow, and the risk of ecosystem damage is high. While this is a good idea, the legislation does not go nearly far enough.

The Gulf menhaden reduction fishery is the largest fishery in the Gulf of Mexico and the second largest fishery in the United States. This industry uses spotter planes and massive mother ships to scoop up whole schools of fish, which they “reduce” to fish oil and fish meal for use as pet food and feed for fish farms. Every year, the industry removes more than two billion fish from the Gulf. 85% of the catch is in Louisiana waters.

Gulf menhaden are a critical part of the Gulf ecosystem, serving as forage for many predator species, including gamefish like redfish and speckled trout, marine mammals like dolphins and whales, and birds like osprey and pelicans.

Only two companies are involved in this fishery and both are owned by foreign multinational fishing conglomerates. Omega Protein is owned by Cooke Inc, a Canadian company with salmon farming and trawling operations around the world, and Daybrook is owned by Oceana, a South African company with many tentacles.

As it stands today, the Gulf menhaden fishery has no catch limit, so nothing is preventing another foreign company from setting up shop in Louisiana. In fact, rumor has it that a firm is currently snooping around Houma to open another pogy reduction plant. Can we really afford to extract billions more fish from the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem?

The answer is a resounding NO, and we all know that increasing catch in the gulf would be a nightmare. That is because menhaden feed so many other species. In a recent report to the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission (GSMFC), a scientific model showed that the current catch levels in the pogy fishery cause major declines in important gamefish species like our redfish and speckled trout.

The menhaden industry has a long history of flouting the law and undermining conservation.  Omega Protein intentionally overfished their limits in the Chesapeake Bay and frequently violated the Clean Water Act and various labor protection laws.  The company even ran afoul of the Securities Exchange Commission and was forced to pay a fine. 

Only Mississippi and Louisiana still allow such industrial-scale fishing for menhaden. Most states have already banned the practice and it is time for Louisiana to consider doing the same. This new bill to create a half-mile coastal conservation zone is certainly a step in the right direction, But it falls well short of what the state should be doing to reel this fishery in. Omega Protein claims that this new rule may put them out of business and cause job losses.  That claim is ridiculous. 

 Only 20% of the fish they catch are in this zone, and if the pogy schools are as plentiful as the fishing industry claims, then they should have no trouble catching their fill a few hundred yards further off the beach.  The reality is that this bill will conserve sensitive habitat and improve the economy in Louisiana.    

 These foreign companies are not only exploiting our Gulf menhaden for pet and salmon food, but they are doing so at the expense of some of the most economically important fisheries we have, including redfish and speckled trout. When you add it all up, these companies are literally taking jobs away from hard-working Louisianans. Fishing guides, tackle shops, marina facilities, hotels, restaurants, and other recreational fishing-related services are all adversely impacted by this industrial-scale fishery.

Unfortunately, these foreign companies succeeded in convincing some powerful members of the Louisiana legislature to oppose the bill.  How could this be you wonder?  Could it have anything to do with campaign contributions? 

When the Senate Natural Resources Committee meets on Tuesday to consider the legislation, will those who received campaign donations from the pogy industry vote to do the right thing?  The committee Chairman, Senator Hensgens, and Committee member Senator Allain each accepted $1,500 from Omega Protein, while Senators Lambert and Hewitt took $1,000.  On the other hand, Senators Fesi, Bouie, and Connick took no money from the industry. 

It is time for Louisiana to move the pogy fishery into the 21st Century, like every other state in the country.  We need a beach buffer of at least a mile to protect the habitat and local jobs.  And we need our legislative leaders to stand up to the bullying of these foreign companies exploiting our valuable natural resources. 

 Capt. Paul Eidman

Charter boat owner and founder of Menhaden Defenders