What are bunker fish used for?

Menhaden are harvested for use as fertilizers, animal feed, and bait for fisheries including blue crab and lobster. They are a major source of omega-3 fatty acids, so they are also used to develop human and animal supplements.

Is bunker a good fish to eat?

Though it wouldn’t kill you to eat one, they are fished mostly for other purposes. (If you are going to eat menhaden or “bunkers,” as the people who eat them often call them, you need to do so when the fish is very fresh, because the flesh tends to decay quickly and the oil become rancid, according to Holzapfel.)

What are bunkers fish?

Atlantic menhaden (Brevoortia tyrannus), also locally known as bunker, moss bunker, pogy or fatback, are schooling fish related to herring, shad, and sardines. Menhaden or bunker are an important food source for many coastal animals.

What can you catch with bunker?

Some of the biggest striped bass have been caught on bunker heads. If really large stripers are around you can use the whole bunker for bait. A fishfinder rig is a the most popular choice for fishing with bunker chunks.

How do you keep bunkers fresh?

Keep It Fresh Ice is essential for keeping your bunker sushi-fresh, but keep the baits from directly touching the ice. Simply place the baits into one-gallon zipper bags before placing them in the cooler. This way, the bunker will stay cool and retain its slime and bass-attracting smell.

Are bunker and menhaden the same thing?

Menhaden, also known as mossbunker and bunker and “the most important fish in the sea”, are forage fish of the genera Brevoortia and Ethmidium, two genera of marine fish in the family Clupeidae.

How do you fish a live bunker?

You can find bunker in any river or harbor. Sunrise is prime time to catch them, as they will be swimming near the surface and are easy to spot by looking for “nervous water” or telltale splashes. A well-thrown cast net can quickly fill a livewell with enough bait for a full tide of fishing.

How can you tell if a bunker is fresh?

You’ll be able to tell the fresh bunker by their eyes. Old bunker will have red eyes and soft bellies. Fresh bunker have clear eyes with little or no red in them. The baits themselves should look bright and silver, not washed out and cooler-burned.

Do people eat menhaden fish?

Yet in its relentless quest to wring profit from the tiny, ecologically vital fish, Omega Protein, a Houston-based company, has done the near-impossible: It has not only made menhaden edible—it’s gone one step further and turned it into a health food.

What is a bunker fish?

Bunker are a real unique type of baitfish due to the large size that they grow to when they become adults. An adult bunker can be anyway between 3- and 4- pounds, but still, it is only used as a baitfish. Bunker are a really oily fish which limits the use of the fish for consumption. Bunker are really just considered a glorified fish food.

What makes a bunker good for fishing?

The livelier the bunker, the better it will swim on the hook, so it’s worth the extra effort to keep your baits swimming strong in the livewell. Bunker need to be able to swim constantly.

How do you fish bunker?

One of the simplest ways to fish bunker is also one of the most effective. Upon finding schools of bunker, fishermen snag them with a weighted treble, and then let the bunker swim. The weight of the treble (and trauma from the impact) will cause the wounded bunker to drop below the school, where stripers will be lying in wait.

Why do fishermen hook the head of the bunker?

Others say they like bunker heads because they resist the attacks of bait-stealers like skates and dogfish. Most fishermen hook the head just behind the gill plate, as the hook will tear through the bait for a more secure hookset. B. Shoulder – The cut below the head is the second most coveted piece of the bunker.