This Week's Take: Menhaden talk should focus on science

By RON LUKENS, For The Capital

Published 03/14/09

The Atlantic menhaden fishery has been a fixture along the Atlantic coast for more than a century, delivering economic stability to otherwise depressed areas and providing a multitude of products that has helped to improve our lives.

Courtesy photo
Ron Lukens is the senior fisheries biologist for Omega Protein and is a member of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's Menhaden Advisory Panel.

The menhaden industry has an impressive history of cooperating with fisheries management and science agencies and institutions, and has voluntarily partnered with the National Marine Fisheries Service since 1955 to report landings and biological data, resulting in the longest continuous fisheries database in the country.

Because of this voluminous data, the assessment of the menhaden...

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You have to be kidding me - 2009-03-14 21:44:33

I've never read a more biased and self serving piece in my life. Is this an article or a paid advertisement for Omega Protein, a Texas Corporation?

If the fishery was so strong, why is there only one remaining taker left? If the fishery was healthy and sustainable, there would be more than one processor exploiting the resource. The fact is that the fishery has been decimated to the point where it is simply not profitable for any additional takers to successfully operate.

This unethical so-called biologist (Ron Lukens) indicates that a body of water devoid of fish is actually a cleaner environment. He claims the fish excrement adds harmful nutrients to the marine environment.

Having this taker as a member of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission?s Menhaden Advisory Panel is equivalent to Bernie Madoff advising the SEC.

unhide Comment hidden due to low ranking. Why is this comment hidden?

keith fraser - Annapolis, MD - Karma: Neutral