Atlantic Menhaden

[edit] Species Name:

Atlantic menhaden

[edit] Common Names:

The menhaden is also called pogy, mossbunker, bug fish, alewife, shad, greasetail, bunker, bunker fish and fat back.

[edit] Scientific Name:

The Atlantic menhaden (Brevoortia tyrannus) is a fish in the

[edit] Family or Group:

herring family, Clupeidae

[edit] Basic Description:

It is a silvery, highly compressed filter feeder. Deep bodied and laterally compressed, with brassy sides and a dark blue-green back. A row of sharp scutes extends along the ventral edge of the belly. A large dark spot is located behind the gill cover, followed by several smaller spots.

[edit] Size:

Adults are about 12–14 in. (30.5–35.6 cm) in length.

[edit] Distribution and Habitat:

Menhaden historically occurred in large numbers in the North Atlantic, ranging from Nova Scotia, Canada to central Florida, United States, although their presence in northern waters has diminished in the 20th Century. They swim in large schools, some reportedly up to 40 miles long. As a result of their abundance they are important prey for a wide range of predators including bluefish, striped bass cod, haddock, halibut, mackerel, swordfish, and tuna.

[edit] Habits:

It lives on plankton caught in midwater. Adult fish can filter up to four gallons of water a minute. They play an important role in clarifying ocean water. They are also a natural check to the deadly red tide.

[edit] Angling Value:

The Atlantic menhaden is popular for use as live or dead bait.

[edit] Best Angling Methods:

[edit] Table Quality:

The fish is notorious for its rapid deterioration when caught, as well as its bony and oily makeup. As a result, they are primarily used for the production of fish meal, oil and fertilizer. It was likely the fish that Squanto taught the Pilgrims to bury alongside freshly planted seeds as fertiliser. It went on to be used for this purpose on a large scale on farmland on the Atlantic coast, though this process was stopped after it was realized that the oily fish parched the soil.

[edit] Commercial Value:

[edit] Notes:

{{{13}}}