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diseased stripers
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.
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