kind of herring, 1792, from Algonquian (probably Narragansett) munnawhateaug (noted from 1643), literally "they fertilize," because the abundant little fishes were used by the Indians as fer [..]

(n) shad-like North American marine fishes used for fish meal and oil and fertilizer

Atlantic menhaden play a vital role in the marine ecosystem from Maine to Florida.  By weight, more menhaden are caught than any other fish on the East Coast. One company, Omega Protein, operates a fleet that each year scoops up about three-quarters of the entire East Coast menhaden catch—more than 410 million pounds. The oily fish are typically gr [..]