Menhaden Fisheries Coalition

What Menhaden Fisheries Coalition does

The Menhaden Fisheries Coalition is an industry trade association representing over 90% of menhaden fishermen, related businesses, and supporting industries across 30+ member companies along the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf Coasts. Headquartered in Washington, DC, the coalition conducts media outreach, public education, and regulatory advocacy on behalf of the menhaden industry, addressing misinformation and promoting science-based fisheries management through bodies like the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission.

The member businesses it represents harvest menhaden using purse seine fishing methods, which the UN Food and Agriculture Organization has cited as having one of the lowest bycatch levels globally. Harvested menhaden are processed into fish meal, fish oil, fish solubles, and bait. Fish meal and solubles supply aquaculture, poultry, livestock, agricultural fertilizer, and domestic aquaculture markets, while crude fish oil is sold to foreign aquaculture and refined fish oils feed the human nutraceutical (omega-3 EPA/DHA/DPA) market. The bait fishery supplies commercial and recreational fisheries for lobster, blue crab, striped bass, and bluefish. Both the Atlantic and Gulf fisheries are Marine Stewardship Council-certified sustainable (2019), and the Gulf fishery has held Friend of the Sea certification since 2008.

The coalition's business model is a member-funded trade association, generating revenue through membership dues and advocacy activities rather than direct product sales. It represents an industry with substantial economic footprint: the Gulf menhaden fishery alone generates $419 million in annual economic output and supports 2,059 jobs (800+ direct, ~2,000 indirect). The Gulf reduction fishery is concentrated in Moss Point, Mississippi and Abbeville, Louisiana, while the Atlantic reduction fishery is centered in Reedville, Virginia. The coalition's 11-50 person staff focuses on stakeholder communications, regulatory engagement, and partnership coordination with labor (UFCW Local 400), scientific (SCEMFIS, CBL, VIMS, NOAA), and regulatory partners.

Name

Menhaden Fisheries Coalition

Legal name

Menhaden Fisheries Coalition

Website

https://menhaden.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Menhaden Fisheries Coalition is a Washington, DC-based trade association representing over 90% of menhaden fishermen, related businesses, and supporting industries across 30+ member companies on the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf Coasts, conducting advocacy, public outreach, and regulatory engagement on behalf of the sustainable menhaden industry.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industry Trade Association and Fisheries Advocacy

NAICS

Finfish Fishing (114111), Seafood Product Preparation and Packaging (3117)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Fishing, Hunting And Trapping (900)

akta.pro primary industry

Fishing Vessels (Trawlers, Longliners, Purse Seiners) (IMAJADAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Primary Seafood Processing (Heading/Gutting/Deheading; Icing) (AFANADAA)

Keywords

• Industry advocacy
• Trade association
• Fishery management
• Fish meal production
• Commercial fishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Industry Advocacy and Representation: The Menhaden Fisheries Coalition represents menhaden fishermen, related businesses, and supporting industries. The coalition conducts media and public outreach on behalf of the menhaden industry. The member businesses generate revenue through harvesting menhaden for reduction (fish meal, fish oil, fish solubles), bait sales, and aquaculture feed production.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The Menhaden Fisheries Coalition is a collective advocacy organization representing over 90% of menhaden fishermen, related businesses, and supporting industries along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts. The Coalition conducts media and public outreach on behalf of the menhaden industry to inform the public, media, and government on issues, events, and facts about the fishery. Member businesses harvest menhaden for fish meal, fish oil, fish solubles, bait, and aquaculture feed production.

Product overview

The Menhaden Fisheries Coalition is a collective advocacy organization (not a technology company) representing over 90% of menhaden fishermen, related businesses, and supporting industries along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts. The Coalition conducts media and public outreach on behalf of the menhaden industry. It does not offer software products or technology services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Menhaden Fisheries Coalition Representation Services Collective advocacy and representation services for commercial menhaden fishermen, related businesses, and supporting industries on the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts, including public outreach, media engagement, and regulatory advocacy to inform the public, media, and government about the fishery.

Quantifiable outcome

• 6.4% average harvest rate of total menhaden population (2004-2013)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Science Center for Marine Fisheries (SCEMFIS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 October 2025SCEMFIS is an Industry-University Cooperative Research Center supported by the National Science Foundation. It brings together academic and industry expertise to address scientific challenges facing sustainable fisheries. SCEMFIS funded a Chesapeake Bay menhaden research roadmap project led by scientists from Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, VIMS, and NOAA.
• Chesapeake Biological Laboratory (CBL/UMCES)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 October 2025Scientists from CBL at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science are leading the SCEMFIS-funded research roadmap project for Chesapeake Bay menhaden harvest cap, bringing decades of peer-reviewed research, assessment leadership, and survey design expertise.
• Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 October 2025Scientists from VIMS (College of William and Mary) are part of the research team developing the Chesapeake Bay menhaden harvest cap roadmap, contributing expertise in population dynamics and habitat modeling.
• NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 October 2025NOAA scientists, including Dr. Amy Schueller from NOAA SEFSC, are part of the research team. NOAA provides stock assessment support and ecological reference points for Atlantic menhaden management.
• Ocean HarvesterscoreOthers · 1 January 2025Ocean Harvesters operates menhaden fishing vessels and is an MFC member. The company is American-owned and operated using U.S.-flagged vessels, supplying menhaden to Omega Protein processing facilities.
• Westbank FishingminorOthers · 1 January 2025Westbank Fishing is a Gulf menhaden company, American-owned and operated, mentioned in discussions about buffer zone regulations and bycatch mitigation efforts.
• United Food & Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 400coreOthers · 1 January 2025UFCW Local 400 Union represents union fishermen members working for MFC member Ocean Harvesters. The union supports the menhaden fishery and its workers, with shop stewards advocating for watermen at regulatory meetings.
• Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC)coreOthersASMFC is the interstate compact that manages Atlantic menhaden along the 15 Atlantic Coast states. The commission conducts stock assessments and sets Total Allowable Catch limits using ecosystem-based reference points.
• Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission (GSMFC)coreOthersGSMFC oversees menhaden management in the Gulf of Mexico and conducts regular stock assessments. They certified Gulf menhaden as neither overfished nor experiencing overfishing in their 2021 Stock Assessment Report.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Pacific Seafood Processors Association: Trade association representing seafood processors on the U.S. West Coast. Comparable industry advocacy body for a different coastal region and species mix, useful as a structural peer for coalition governance and policy work.
• Omega Protein: A leading U.S. producer of fish meal, fish oil, and omega-3 ingredients from menhaden, and a key member of the Menhaden Fisheries Coalition. Direct peer as the primary commercial processor purchasing menhaden from coalition fishing vessels.
• National Fisheries Institute: National trade association representing the U.S. seafood industry, including harvesters, processors, distributors, and retailers. Closest direct peer to MFC as a national industry advocacy organization, though broader in scope across all seafood categories.
• At-sea Processors Association: Trade association representing U.S. at-sea processors operating in the North Pacific. Direct peer as a U.S. fishing industry trade association focused on harvesting and processing wild-caught fish for reduction and human consumption.

Broad incumbents

• Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission: The interstate compact that manages Atlantic menhaden and 20+ other species along the Atlantic Coast. Functions as the regulatory counterparty to the coalition and shapes the quota framework the industry operates within.
• Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission: Manages fishery resources in the Gulf of Mexico, including conducting stock assessments for Gulf menhaden. Regulatory counterpart that certified the Gulf menhaden fishery as sustainable in 2021.

Emerging players

• Science Center for Marine Fisheries (SCEMFIS): Industry-University Cooperative Research Center supported by NSF that funds peer-reviewed fisheries research. Strategic research partner of the Menhaden Fisheries Coalition, currently funding the Chesapeake Bay menhaden research roadmap.

Regional players

• Recreational Fishing Alliance: Advocacy organization representing recreational fishermen and supporting industries. Partial overlap with MFC's mission given menhaden's role as bait for recreational fisheries (striped bass, bluefish).

Others

• Chesapeake Bay Foundation: Regional conservation organization focused on Chesapeake Bay restoration that has historically criticized menhaden harvest levels. Key stakeholder in the Chesapeake Bay harvest cap debate the MFC is engaging with through the SCEMFIS research roadmap.
• Oceana: International ocean conservation organization that has actively campaigned against menhaden overharvesting. The principal advocacy counterparty whose campaigns represent the chief reputational and regulatory risk the MFC must counter.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/menhadencoalition

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Menhaden Fisheries Coalition