Study challenges estimates used to guide Atlantic menhaden fishing

Atlantic menhaden (Brevoortia tyrannus), which supports a major commercial fishery along the U. S. East Coast and serves as essential prey for fish, seabirds and marine mammals, may be less able to sustain fishing pressure than some assessments suggest. A new study finds that a key estimate of deaths from natural causes was substantially overstated, potentially making the population appear more productive than its biology supports.