. Coast watch. Marine resources; Oceanography; Coastal zone management; Coastal ecology. Fertilizer, lamp oil, lipstick, chicken feed and margarine—an unlikely combination of products, but all derived from the same source. Menhaden. This bony, oily fish fertilized Pilgrim farm- land. And since those times, the nation's largest fishery has seen a lot of change. Oil is no longer extracted from the fish in boiling kettles. Purse seines replaced gill nets and haul seines. Steel, diesel-powered vessels ply the same waters once fished by wooden schooners and steamers. Power blocks and winches replac
. Coast watch. Marine resources; Oceanography; Coastal zone management; Coastal ecology. Fertilizer, lamp oil, lipstick, chicken feed and margarine—an unlikely combination of products, but all derived from the same source. Menhaden. This bony, oily fish fertilized Pilgrim farm- land. And since those times, the nation's largest fishery has seen a lot of change. Oil is no longer extracted from the fish in boiling kettles. Purse seines replaced gill nets and haul seines. Steel, diesel-powered vessels ply the same waters once fished by wooden schooners and steamers. Power blocks and winches replaced the muscle and the song of man. But the menhaden can't always be found in the same huge numbers they once were. Some say North Carolina fishermen are catching too many small menhaden. But North Carolina processors are worried that strict regulations may put them out of business. This month, Coastwatch takes a look at the menhaden fishery in North Carolina. Menhaden today. Pogies, mossbunkers, bunkers, ale- wives, whitefish, bonyfish, fatbacks and shad to those who have fished for menhaden from Maine to Florida during the fishery's 300-year history. Menhaden have collected more than 30 common names. In North Carolina, they've most often been known as fatbacks, shad and pogies. Scientifically, their names are Brevoortia tyrannus, the Atlantic menhaden, or Brevoortia patronus, the Gulf menhaden (the two species sought by fishermen). But no matter what you call them, all the names apply to the same bony, oily fish. In a book written a century ago, George Goode aptly described the menhaden's ecological niche: "It is not hard to surmise the menhaden's place in nature: swarm- ing our waters in countless myriads, swimming in closely- packed unwieldly masses, helpless as flocks of sheep, close to the surface and at the mercy of any enemy, destitute of means of defense or offense, their mission is unmistakably to be ; Sharks, whales, striped bass, bluefish and countl
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