Menhaden meal is a valuable ingredient for animal feeds. The poultry industry is heavily dependent on fish meal to improve feed efficiency and produce maximum growth rates. Menhaden oil is used both in edible form and in non-consumptive products such as paints, plastics and resins. Mississippi is a very small producer of edible finfish obtained by commercial fishermen with fewer than 30 individuals participating as full-time commercial finfishermen. However, over 300 commercial licenses are sold annually for the harvest of edible finfish indicating many part-time fishermen.
Trawlers catch foodfish incidental to shrimping and industrial fishing.
Total foodfish landings average about one million pounds annually. Many studies in Mississippi and elsewhere in the Gulf indicate that recreational fishermen are responsible for the majority of edible finfish that are produced commercially. This is particularly true in Mississippi for species such as redfish, speckled trout, Spanish mackerel, and red snapper. Significant changes in regulations controlling these resources have had a major impact upon the commercial segment and skewed the industry toward the recreational fishery. While seafood landings in Mississippi are significant, the bulk of economic activity is generated by the processing sector.