i sent this letter to the asmfc and the midatlantic states

Hello my name is Evan Weeden:
I have been fishing for Striped Bass all my life. The overharvest of the menhaden is causing a disease in the striped bass population called mycobacteriosis which basically eats the striped bass form the inside out. The menhaden's oils keep the striped bass robust and fights off sickness. May I add that the Chesapeake Bay is the striped bass spawning ground, more than half of striped bass have this sickness. In order for the striped bass to make a healthy come back we need to properly manage its food source. I strongly recommend that you put strict regulations on the menhaden population.

Thank you for your time,

Evan Weeden

:claps: :claps:

Evan,
FYI nobody knows what's causing the mycobacteriaosis. It may or may not be related the menhaden issue. But that was a good deed anyway!

how about stocking and rasing menhaden? it is just an idea. once we can breed them, we will send them to the water
and they wount be harvested....

Is anyone sure that lack of menhaden to feed on is causing the "striper disease"?
Studys/data/links/information?

For some interesting reading...

http://www.savethefish.org/

Omega Protien, the country's largst menhaden harvester has payed lobyists in DC that are wooing our congressmen right now as we speak to get permission to harvest even more menhaden. Theres already a starter program which menhaden-oil laden foods are being served to kids in texas and another state.. if all goes well, they want to get this fish-oil enhanced food in all of the states public school foods.

Sorry, but especially with our current asministration, our goverment could give 2 chits about the striped bass health. :smash:

And to think they were all going to 3rd world countries.

I guess whats good for the 3rd world is good enough for public schools now?

all i know is that i've seen a very noticable decline in pogies in narragansett bay over the last 3 yrs. now they want to feed them to our kids? WTF?

The fraudsters are jumping from one industry to the next, siphoning as much as they can in consumer money.

10 years ago you used to still see monster schools of pogies getting assassinated by blues and bass

i haven't seen schools like that in many years now....

ahhh the times of seeing the water boil red....

It is not JUST the lack of menhaden as forage for striped bass that many believe is contributing to disease in the Chesapeake Bay population.

Menhaden are filter feeders and devour tons of plankton that starve the water of oxygen. They also filter out other elements suspended in the water that are harmful to gamefish.

The over-fishing of menhaden is a double wammy. A) reduction of key forage that is rich in fatty oils and B) decrease in oxygen and water quality in the Chesapeake, both of which are causing stress on the striped bass population. Stress on fish is known to be related to disease.