Forage Fish Campaign Misrepresents NOAA Scientist’s Research

WASHINGTON, D.C. / ACCESS Newswire / November 3, 2026 / In an October 26 article, Forage Fish Campaign executive director Whit Fosburgh cites NOAA scientist Dr. Jason Link's 2021 study, Evidence of Ecosystem Overfishing in U.S. Large Marine Ecosystems, to support accusations against the menhaden reduction fishery and the Atlantic herring and mackerel fisheries.

Fosburgh accurately reports Dr. Link's central findings: the study identifies strong evidence of ecosystem overfishing in the Northeast U.S. Continental Shelf and evidence suggesting the Gulf of Mexico has also experienced ecosystem overfishing. But he then draws conclusions about particular fisheries that Dr. Link's research does not establish. Dr. Link, p. 3192

Pointing to two charts of historical commercial landings showing that menhaden account for a substantial share of landings in both regions, Fosburgh declares, "So, it is no wonder that ecosystem overfishing is occurring."

That is Fosburgh's conclusion, not Dr. Link's. Dr. Link examined aggregate fishing pressure across entire marine ecosystems. His charts show historical commercial landings by species, not which fisheries caused ecosystem overfishing. Large landings do not, by themselves, establish that a particular fishery is responsible for ecological damage. Dr. Link, Figure 10, p. 3190 and Figure 11, p. 3191

In fact, Dr. Link's discussion on page 3192 describes decades of fishing pressure in the Northeast primarily on cod and other groundfish, flatfish and other demersal species, followed by shifts in targeted fisheries. That history is more complicated than Fosburgh's implication that the volume of menhaden landings explains the region's ecosystem overfishing.

Dr. Link also identifies a qualification Fosburgh omits. On page 3194, he explains that because menhaden and other lower-trophic-level species are harvested, the ecosystem's total catch potential, and thus its overfishing thresholds, could be somewhat higher than standard thresholds suggest. Dr. Link maintains that other indicators still show excessive overall fishing pressure, but expressly recognizes that catch composition matters when interpreting the results.

Fosburgh further claims that the midwater trawl industry "has collapsed herring and mackerel populations." Dr. Link's paper does not analyze midwater trawling as a fishing method, investigate the causes of those stocks' declines, or attribute responsibility to that industry.

Nor does Dr. Link prescribe the fishery-specific restrictions Fosburgh advocates. On page 3196, he recommends monitoring ecosystem indicators and considering ways to reduce overall fishing pressure where ecosystem overfishing is strongly indicated. But he declines to recommend particular restrictions, explaining that management must account for regional circumstances and fisheries governance.

The distinction is fundamental. Evidence of ecosystem-wide overfishing does not establish that any one fishery caused it. Dr. Link's research provides a framework for assessing cumulative fishing pressure; it does not show that menhaden reduction fishing caused ecosystem overfishing, that midwater trawling collapsed herring and mackerel populations, or that eliminating those fisheries would remedy the ecosystem-wide problems identified.

Fosburgh is advocating restrictions on particular fisheries while citing a study that does not establish the scientific basis for singling them out. Those are his policy conclusions, not findings of Dr. Link's research.

Sources

Fosburgh, Whit. "The Bait Line: Menhaden, Ecosystem Overfishing, and Ecosystem Management." Forage Fish Campaign, October 26, 2026. https://www.foragefishcampaign.org/news-media/menhaden-ecosystem-overfishing-and-ecosystem-management.

Link, Jason S. "Evidence of Ecosystem Overfishing in U.S. Large Marine Ecosystems." ICES Journal of Marine Science 78, no. 9 (2021): 3176-3201. https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsab185.

Accessible full text: NOAA Institutional Repository.

Cited passages in Link (2021)

Figure 10, Northeast U.S. historical commercial landings (p. 3190).

Figure 11, Gulf of Mexico historical commercial landings (p. 3191).

Northeast fishing-pressure history and Gulf findings (p. 3192).

Lower-trophic-level catch and ecosystem threshold qualification (p. 3194).

"Considerations if EOF is detected": management recommendations (p. 3196).

About the American Small Pelagics Network

The American Small Pelagics Network represents fishermen, processors, suppliers, and coastal communities connected to fisheries such as menhaden, mackerel, herring, squid, and butterfish. ASPN advocates for sustainable fisheries management that supports critical fish species, while maintaining economic opportunities for fishermen and fishing communities.

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SOURCE: American Small Pelagics Network

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