This thing could be out of the House by July. The study is also likely to examine whether the decline of menhaden is adversely affecting fish that rely on it for food, such as striped bass, weakfish and bluefish. It is also likely to examine its ecological role. Like oysters, menhaden are important filter feeders that consume large amounts of algae, improving water quality. Concern about menhaden has been growing for nearly two years as the number of fish in the coastal population has declined to its lowest level on record.
Some scientists believe the decline in menhaden has affected striped bass in the Bay.
An ongoing study by the University of Maryland Eastern Shore has found that menhaden only account for about half as much of the striped bass diet as was the case in 1993. Striped bass also are growing slower, and some fish in parts of the Bay are developing lesions. It's looking like a bad year already. But the status of the menhaden stock remains a hazy picture. Even as recruitment has suffered, the reproductive potential of the stock remains at a near record high.