The Guide Post

10/01/2026 from the ASMFC Atlantic Menhaden Addendum II public hearing.

What the menhaden!?

In the latest episode of The Guide Post, Tony, Mario and Jake examine how a flawed menhaden stock assessment led to detrimental overharvesting of a critical Atlantic resource. The trio makes the case for significantly reducing catch in the coming years to protect the long term viability of the fishery.

There are several videos doing the rounds on social media lately about stocking redfish into Louisiana waters. Redfish are one of Louisiana’s most important game fish. They support a massive recreational fishery, fundamental to the lives of local sportsmen and the State economy. The 2022 Louisiana red drum stock assessment painted a clear picture that the fishery is declining, which matched on-the-water observations from countless guides and anglers in recent years. While the LDWF science supported a substantial reduction in harvest, the political process once again muddied the waters for conservation progress. State-based “conservation” groups pleaded that “one less fish per person was simply too much conservation”. They blamed the menhaden boats for red drum’s problems, often parlayed into arguments about the lack of healthy habitat to support more redfish. Now two years later, these same non profit voices are actively collaborating with the menhaden industry and some of the Gulf’s greatest polluters and violators to supplement the stock with tank-grown, genetically-insufficient hatchery fish. You might be asking: why grow fish if things are so good we don’t need a harvest reduction? The answer is simple: the almighty dollar. Let’s take a peak behind the curtain…

MRIP recalibration is approaching its peak. Now, data revisions show the recreational fishery has been far more overestimated than managers admitted, and the ripple effects reach far beyond one chart. They will reshape the entire future of striped bass management.

Capt. Cody Rubner is joined by Kyle and Grizz, two friendly faces and good souls leading the charge for Soul Fly Co. Their mission is simple: bring people together in an event made by the people, for the people. We'll see you at Soul Fly Boston later this month!

A rapid reaction podcast after a North Carolina hearing for Atlantic bonito management.

The Menhaden fight grows louder, but unfortunately for the resource, the discussions grow murkier. A massive error in the stock assessment has changed the entire management picture. In this episode, Tony Friedrich, Mario Campo and Jake Hardy break down why the Bay Cap, the coastwide TAC, and the push for reallocation all demand your nuanced attention right now if you care about forage fish, stripers, ospreys, whales, or the future of the fishery. In episode 220, we break down how a corrected natural mortality estimate from a 1960s tagging study helped expose an overharvest problem that has quietly added up to hundreds of millions of pounds. This episode translates the mortality math into plain English and explains why the current management response is still not enough. With additional biological and policy context, it’s hard to deny why a coastal stock issue cannot be solved by shuffling quota from one region to another.

Tony and Cody chop it up on some ASGA "to-dos", industry "to-don'ts" and a quality coffee recommendation.

The striped bass fishery has collapsed, the data accounting is warped and the biggest warning signs are being buried in plain sight. Here’s everything you need to know about the immediate future of striped bass management…