menhaden

American  

[men-heyd-n] / mɛnˈheɪd n /

noun

1. any marine clupeid fish of the genus Brevoortia, especially B. tyrannus, resembling a shad but with a more compressed body, common along the eastern coast of the U.S., and used for making oil and fertilizer.

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menhaden British  

/ mɛnˈheɪdən /

noun

1. a marine North American fish, Brevoortia tyrannus: source of fishmeal, fertilizer, and oil: family Clupeidae (herrings, etc)

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• menhaden
  plural

Etymology

Origin of menhaden

First recorded in 1635–45, perhaps from Narragansett ( English spelling) munnawhatteaûg, influenced by English dialect poghaden; cf. pogy ¹

Example Sentences

A decade or so ago, when I first heard about the movement to protect menhaden in New York, even I was skeptical they needed special consideration.

From Slate • Feb. 4, 2024

In 2018, picking up on the importance of small fish, New York pushed the industrial-scale menhaden fishery to the other side of the “5-mile line,” meaning fish could be harvested only from outside state waters.

From Slate • Feb. 4, 2024

Rather, the DEP said it believed warming ocean temperatures are causing whales and the fish they eat, including menhaden, to move into new areas, bringing them into areas frequented by vessels.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 5, 2023

“It is clear that the very precautionary Chesapeake Bay cap for menhaden is not the hurdle for the striped bass population returning to higher levels,” he said.

From New York Times • Jul. 11, 2023

Captain Wallace and his son tonged for oysters in the winter, and in the summer they netted fish, chiefly menhaden and rockfish.

From "Jacob Have I Loved" by Katherine Paterson