About Atlantic menhaden:
- It is a commercially important Atlantic Ocean fish, also known as Fatback, Bunker, Pogie.
- Habitat: They are found in coastal and estuarine waters from Nova Scotia to northern Florida.
- Diet: They are filter feeders, primarily consuming phytoplankton and zooplankton in the water column.
- The disappearance of most of the menhaden from the bay is contributing to the disappearance of the many species that rely on menhaden.
- Uses of this fish
- They are harvested for use as fertilizers, animal feed, and bait for fisheries including blue crab and lobster.
- They are a major source of omega-3 fatty acids, so they are also used to develop human and animal supplements.
- Conservation status
Key facts about the Chesapeake Bay
- It is the largest inlet in the Atlantic Coastal Plain of the eastern United States.
- It was created by the submergence of the lower courses of the Susquehanna River and its tributaries,
- The southern part of the bay is bordered by Virginia and its northern part by Maryland.
