Menhaden Reduction Fleet Off Lewes Beach

The Reduction fleet is in town, off of Lewes beach. I assume fishing the Delaware bay. Though they have to stay out of the EEZ these menhaden reduction fleets can fish the mouth of the Delaware Bay. You can follow their movement on the Marine Traffic app. When the planes show up to spot fish, those are tracked on the flight apps. The reduction fleet uses spotter planes to find large menhadens schools then they scoop them up. Yo can track those on Flight Aware. The boats this evening look like they are anchored up for the night. You can tell when the fall run is getting geared up because these folks show up every year now.

Back in the day bunker were so think in the Lewes canal you could walk across the water. Anglers had to make a hole to drop lines down to fish and compete with a huge load of food. Lewes was a huge menhaden industry that is gone now. Just a bunch of old salts that remember it and a big net left, that the town fights over putting on display, sad. You’re a fishing town clam down, display the net.

Factory fishing, it gets uglier after that due to the “leftovers’ and by catches are usually dead. Recently there have been several issues in the Chesapeake bay. Closed state park beaches for dead menhaden and other fish washing up. Probably one reason for the fleet to bail and sail up north. Check out Menhaden Defenders they are a great group to follow and to help fight for the bunker. Something many have been doing for decades. Bunker or menhaden are one of the most important forage fish in the ocean.