In a 2020 article, Louisiana Sportsman looked at a study by a University of Miami scientist and angler that analyzes overfishing menhaden and its threat to speckled trout.

Is overfishing of menhaden a threat to speckled trout?

A University of Miami scientist an avid angler, has studied, documented, and informed the public of a grave threat to the speckled trout fishery along Louisiana’s coast: commercial fishing of menhaden.

Dr. Jerald Ault, professor, and chair of the Department of Marine Ecosystems and Society at Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science held a webinar on May 13 with participants from Louisiana and around the country, including charter captains from Venice and Buras. Menhaden, aka pogies, is being sucked out of the ecosystem at an alarming rate.

As a forage species and filter feeder, menhaden are essential to the ecology of the Gulf of Mexico, according to Ault. The Gulf’s myriad of fish species, marine mammals, and birds of prey eat menhaden, which constantly filter water through their gills, thus serving as a vital ecological cleaning system.

If you’re not aware of what all the benefits and losses that can come to overfishing menhaden, you can read more at Louisiana Sportsman.