MARYLAND - The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission has advanced a proposal that could reduce the Chesapeake Bay's industrial menhaden harvest by as much as 50%.
The proposal, approved by the commission's Atlantic Menhaden Management Board on a near-unanimous vote, would be released for public comment in the coming weeks. Virginia was the only state to vote against advancing the measure.
The proposal is part of Draft Addendum II, the latest update to the commission's Atlantic menhaden management plan. It includes options to lower the Chesapeake Bay reduction fishery harvest cap by up to half and spread industrial fishing more evenly throughout the season.
The commission said the changes are intended to address concerns about menhaden availability during the late spring and summer, when the fish are an important food source for wildlife, including osprey and striped bass, and are used as bait by commercial crab fishermen.
Industrial vessels harvest more than 100 million pounds of menhaden from the Chesapeake Bay each year, according to the commission.
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission is expected to open the proposal for public comment in the coming weeks before considering final action at its annual meeting in November. If approved, the new protections could take effect for the 2027 fishing season.
Chesapeake Bay Foundation Forage Campaign Manager Will Poston welcomed the board's action, calling it an opportunity for the public to weigh in on protections for menhaden and urging support for conservation-focused reforms.
