Pogy boat dumps 900K dead fish

A menhaden fishing boat with an unexpectedly large catch let loose a raft of 900,000 dead fish off the coast of SW Louisiana last week sparking outrage conservationist and a renewed call for tougher rules governing the state’s largest and least-regulated fishery.  Omega Protein estimated 900,000 menhaden were lost when one of its crews cut free a bulging net less than a mile from Holly Beach in Cameron Parish on Sept. 8. The fish carcasses formed a rotting mass and drew complaints from multiple charter boat captains, which target redfish that depend on menhaden for food. “It’s hard not to be disgusted when you see that,” said Chris Macaluso, marine fisheries director for the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. “There should be some sort of penalty.” Also called pogy and fatback, menhaden are the state’s largest fishery, generating between 600M and 900M pounds for the two foreign-owned menhaden fishing companies that operate in Louisiana. Most of the dollar bill-sized fish are ground up into fertilizer, pet food and fish oil supplements. (NOLA.com 09/16/22) Pogy boat dumps 900,000 fish off Louisiana coast, raising the ire of anglers and conservationists | Environment | nola.com