Question

Using on-line resources, explain why the Atlantic menhaden could be considered a keystone species in the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem. (please can someone go in depth please type i have a problem reading handwriting)

Answer 1

• Atlantic menhaden form an important link in the food web by serving as a food source for larger fish like bluefish and striped bass. Menhaden also support one of the oldest commercial fisheries on the Atlantic coast.

• These small fish ,form an important link in the Chesapeake Bay food web, which is why fisheries managers have placed a cap on the amount of menhaden that can be harvested from the Bay.

• In addition to serving an important ecological role, menhaden provide commercial value through their use as bait, fishmeal and fish oil.

• Menhaden are filter feeders, are capable of filtering up to seven gallons of water each minute.

• Menhaden are known as "forage species" means that they can function as a critical source of food for larger fish species and to support commercial and recreational fisheries.

• Menhaden support one of the largest commercial harvests on the Atlantic coast. While the fish is too small and oily to eat, menhaden are harvested for other purposes, including:

1. fertilizers
2. animal feed
3. human and animal supplements
4. cosmetics
5. bait

• Most menhaden harvest comes from the Virginia portion of the Chesapeake bay.
• It is consideres as key stone species in the Chesapeake ecosystem. As a decline in the menhaden population will affect the food 's ecological function as a filter feeder and a food source. It will affect the fish business and the fishermen.
• Menhaden are the fuel of the food web, and we control the flow. Too low and we have problems with striped bass nutrition, diseases, mortality, and so forth. For a predator like striped bass that depends a lot on menhaden, if there are not enough menhaden available, they will shift to something else that's probably not as nutritious.
• It's important to remember that leaving menhaden in the water to be eaten satisfies an important management objective to keep the ecosystem healthy.