What is menhaden?
Menhaden, also known as Bunker, Pogie, Fat-Back, Alewife and Bugmouth, is a kind of small fish and a family member. This fish is an integral part of the ecosystems that it inhabits because it provides food for many larger fish species and feeds algae growing in water. Without menhaden, it would probably suffer from the health of the coastal waters on the Atlantic side of America.
Menhaden are silver and covered with side black spots. Most specimens have a large black spot just after the gill open and the variable number of smaller places along the length of their backs. Menhaden's sausages lack the spine that can be found in other species of the monitor, and also lacks teeth.
These fish live in the Atlantic Ocean, from Eastern Florida to New Scotland. You can also find them in the Gulf of Mexico and along the east coast of South America to the south as Argentina. They live in shallow waters and melt in the ocean. Menhaden Fry spent his first year in Brakice water Bay and the mouth of rivers.
In one year, menhaden is approximately 6 inches (15 cm). Fish jseou fully grown at the age of two and three years. At this time they are 12 inches (about 30 cm) and are ready for friction.
Like the others, menhaden consists of large schools. They feed near the water surface and often when they eat, often raise their mouths out of the water. It is easy to see in schools because their mouths and fins create disturbance on the ocean surface, which makes it easier to locate fishing ships.
These small fish feed exclusively on plant plankton that filter out of water. Menhaden is an important part of a healthy sea ecosystem. They feed on algae, helping to maintain the ocean without excessive eyelashes, which can reduce the amount of melted oxygen available in water.
Although these fish do not eat people, they are used for animal feed and as bait. They are also one of the sources of Omega 3 fish oil, which can be used as a diet accessory. Excessive fishing of this kind caused a population of larger fish,that feeds on them. The loss of menhaden also caused a problem with the populations of molluscs, as the exhausted oxygen levels adversely affect their population.