The Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) Louisiana is sounding the alarm on the impact of bycatch from commercial menhaden fishing on the state’s Gulf Coast. A comprehensive menhaden bycatch study funded by Louisiana and released in July found that more than 22,000 mature, breeding-sized redfish were scooped up and killed by purse seine nets during the 2024 commercial season for menhaden. Additionally, 8,000 smaller red drum and millions of other individuals of non-target species were killed as bycatch.
In a press release, CCA Louisiana called for buffer zones to protect non-target species as well as implementation of new standardized practices to reduce bycatch mortality for important gamefish. A coast-wide shallow-water buffer zone from menhaden harvest would protect gamefish because bycatch of inshore gamefish like speckled trout and redfish decreases as the depth of water increases.
“The findings confirm what recreational anglers across the state have long suspected. The study validates that bycatch rates for gamefish increase dramatically in shallower, nearshore waters,” reads the release. “It also demonstrates that implementing standardized practices could help reduce the bycatch of important game species like redfish—specifically by removing these fish from nets immediately, before they are drawn into the suction hose.”
Lousiana Redfish in Decline
Redfish are a hot topic in Louisiana, which is home to arguably the best redfish fishing in the world. The fishery, however, is in decline because of a host of reasons, including continual loss of marsh habitat. In 2024, in response to the decline, the state’s recreational limit was cut to four fish per person, daily, with an 18- to 27-inch slot limit. Harvest of fish longer than 27 inches was banned to protect the breeding stock. The 22,000 breeders killed during the study were above that slot limit.
Collateral Damage of the Menhaden Industry
The study also found that more than 80 million croaker and more than 24 million sand trout were killed and an additional 45 species were documented in bycatch totals. Menhaden, croaker and sand trout are all forage species that serve as a foundation for the marine ecosystem. According to CCA: “More than 240,000 speckled trout, primarily in the critical age 1 to age 2 range, are destroyed each year. This is the exact age group that triggered recent limit reductions for recreational anglers.”
Interestingly, a press release from the Menhaden Fisheries Coalition used the same study to defend a position that commercial menhaden fishing is sustainable and not a threat, specifically to red drum. “New independent data confirms that the Gulf menhaden fishery accounts for just 3.4 percent of all red drum removals in Louisiana waters, while recreational fishing is responsible for 96.6 percent by number of fish,” the release reads. Currently, Louisiana restricts bycatch to 5 percent by weight for non-target species.
CCA has questioned the scientific justification of the 5 percent allowance for bycatch, and pointed out the scale of commercial menhaden harvest in the study was greater than three-billion individual fish.
“What are the long-term consequences of removing 80 million croakers from our ecosystem every single year? Imagine if 240,000 Age 1 and Age 2 speckled trout were still on our beaches?” the release reads. “Should just over 30 vessels be allowed to take so much volume when anglers are having their creel limits reduced?”
Gulf menhaden are harvested and used for products like aquaculture feed, pet food and human nutritional supplements.
