Whats the fish meal in our food?
The Atlantic menhaden fishery is probably America’s oldest business. When the first colonists arrived in New England, the local Indians showed them how to fertilize their crops with menhaden caught close to shore. Over the years, the fishery grew from its use as an agricultural fertilizer to a source of oil for lamps and then to animal feed supplements. The menhaden is a remarkable citizen of the sea. Spawned in the ocean, the menhaden travel in large schools of similarly-aged menhaden to the coastal estuaries where they feed before returning to the ocean to spawn at about age 2. A typical menhaden grows to about 12 to 15″ and lives about 3 to 5 years. Because of the compactness of the schools of menhaden, the measured bycatch (non-menhaden), measured numerous times over many years, is less than 1%. The meal made from menhaden provides a unique, high-protein blend of nutrients and is a component of many feeds where it improves growth rates. The oil pressed from menhaden, which is rich
