Atlantic menhaden
| Atlantic menhaden | ||||||||||||
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Atlantic menhaden ( Brevoortia tyrannus ) |
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| Brevoortia tyrannus | ||||||||||||
| ( Latrobe , 1802) |
The Atlantic menhaden or bunker ( Brevoortia tyrannus ) is a fish from the herrings family that is found on the North American Atlantic coast from Nova Scotia to Florida . Closely related species can be found as far as the Argentine coast.
Appearance
The body is laterally flattened with a sharply keeled belly. The large, scaly head makes up almost a third of the total body length of up to 50 cm. The back is dark blue-green, the sides, belly and fins are silvery with a bronze sheen. There is a distinct black spot behind the gill cover , followed by a series of smaller spots along the flank. The ventral and anal fin each have 18 to 24 soft rays, the caudal fin is clearly notched.
Way of life
The Menhaden forms large swarms that are mainly located in shallow water and sift through the water for phyto- and zooplankton . The largest accumulations can be found near river mouths, which also serve as spawning areas. The fry live in open water up to a size of about 10 mm .
Economical meaning
The menhaden is of great importance for fishing on the North American Atlantic coast and is mainly processed into fish oil , fertilizer or fish meal . It is also an important prey fish for larger predatory fish. The species is not yet considered threatened, but in December 2012, catch limits were set in the US to prevent overfishing.
