Acadian Redfish - the Fish that Served a Nation
Acadian redfish, Sebastes fascinates, colored-pencil drawing by Mike Palmer, 2023.
Acadian redfish played an unexpected, but important role in World War II as the United States grappled with shortages of traditional protein sources. To feed both the population at home, and the troops abroad, the nation turned to alternative food sources, including Acadian redfish.
Government programs encouraged Americans to eat a variety of seafood to help meet the nation’s nutritional needs during the war. In addition to promoting the consumption of seafood, the government used redfish to develop new food products for the military. One such product was a concentrated fish protein powder that could be added to other foods to boost their nutritional value. This powder was used to create meals for soldiers, particularly those serving in the Pacific theater, where other protein sources were scarce. Acadian redfish was also used to produce fish meal for fertilizer and animal feed, helping to conserve other protein sources, such as soybean meal and meat, for human consumption.
Post-war the government attempted to develop new markets for Acadian redfish in order to keep the growing domestic fleet afloat. One such program involved selling redfish in the midwest as a substitute for Great Lakes yellow perch. These programs, and the high catches that came along with them had lasting impacts on the Acadian redfish population. The Gulf of Maine redfish population plummeted, and would continue its decline through the 1990s as almost all groundfish stocks suffered from severe overfishing.
Eventually management measures were implemented, including strict catch limits, which has seen the population rebound to levels last seen in the 1940s. Acadian redfish are now considered a sustainable seafood option with the stock no longer overfished. Sustainable fishing practices include using specific gear types, such as hook and line, to minimize bycatch and ensure that only mature fish are caught.
Plot of the Gulf of Maine Acadian redfish total catch (commercial and recreational; top), and spawning stock biomass (bottom) from 1940 to 2019. Source: https://apps-nefsc.fisheries.noaa.gov/saw/sasi.php
