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Re: Netting Abuse
Posted By: Lenny Leta In Response To: Re: Netting Abuse (Terry)
Date: Sunday, 10-23-11, at 8:13 a.m.
The Menhaden do more for the bay than just act as one of the starters for the food chain. They are filter feeders. They swim around with their mouths open and as the dirty water goes through and out the gills, they clean the particles out and it comes out clean. If we could get the numbers of Menhaden back up to where they belong - in the billions, the entire bay ecosystem will improve. As the water clears up, more sunlight gets to deeper depths. This allows for an increase in aquatic plant life including phytoplankton. The new plants and plankton provide food and cover for countless species in the juvenile stage. It will give crabs a place to hide from predators. It will allow for an increase in the clam and oyster populations which are also filter feeders. The plants also take extra chemical nutrients out of the water and incorporate them into plant tissues. The increase in photosynthetic activity will give the water an oxygen boost which will convert a lot of dead water to a reestablished life zone. There will be an increase in the number of migratory waterfowl that visit the bay spring and fall. The droppings from these birds will fertilize the new plant life twice a year. If I think hard enough, I can come up with more good changes that could happen if we left the bunkers alone. I do believe that they are doing more good in the water than they are as pet food.
One Last Note:
DO YOU KNOW THAT THE REGULATIONS FOR THE VIRGINIA MENHADEN INDUSTRY ARE IN THE HANDS OF THE STATE LEGISLATURE AND NOT UNDER THE RULE OF THE FISHERIES COMMISSION? IN OTHER WORDS, A FEW VIRGINIAN POLTICIANS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR A FISHING INDUSTRY THAT IMPACTS AT LEAST ONE HALF OF THE EAST COAST COMMERCIAL AND RECREATIONAL FISHERMEN. A FEW PEOPLE ARE GETTING RICH AND A FEW MILLION ARE GETTING RIPPED OFF!!
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