CHESAPEAKE BAY - A regional fisheries board is weighing whether to cut the amount of Atlantic menhaden that commercial vessels can harvest from the Chesapeake Bay as both concerned conservationists and fishing advocates weigh in.
Supporters of new harvesting limits say tightening the menhaden catch quotas could leave more food for striped bass and osprey and more fish for local watermen. Opponents say the evidence falls short of showing commercial fishing is responsible for declines in the Bay and warn that cuts could threaten jobs in Virginia.
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s draft plan, being discussed Nov. 10 and 11, would keep the current annual cap of 51,000 metric tons, cut it by as much as half, or tie it to a coastwide catch limit. The board could also divide the Bay cap into three seasonal periods to keep more of the catch from being concentrated in part of the fishing season.
The Bay cap applies to what’s known as the reduction fishery, which harvests menhaden to make products such as fishmeal and fish oil. Watermen who catch menhaden to sell as bait operate in a separate fishery.
The case for tighter limits
On Maryland’s Eastern Shore, a Department of Natural Resources survey in the Choptank River found a sharp drop in the relative abundance of adult menhaden in 2024. The survey index remained low in 2025. Across Maryland’s portion of the Chesapeake Bay, the 2024 pound-net harvest of menhaden was 60% below the 2018–2022 average, according to the commission’s draft.
Commission staff found that a stretch of higher-than-usual catch rates in the reduction fishery in 2024 came just before Maryland’s pound-net catches fell below their recent average for that time of year. Staff said the timing suggested a possible link, but the available data could not establish how much fishing pressure affected local menhaden availability. Migration patterns and environmental conditions could also play a role.
Conservation and fishing advocates are urging the board to act while researchers work to understand those declines. In written comments, the Forage Fish Campaign argued that lower harvests would leave more menhaden for predators, pointing to research linking a lack of menhaden to poor osprey breeding success in parts of the Chesapeake Bay.
Whit Fosburgh, executive director of the Forage Fish Campaign, spoke with WBOC on Tuesday from Rhode Island, where he was attending the commission's meeting. He argued that industrial fishing is placing additional pressure on smaller commercial operations that depend on menhaden for bait.
"I think reducing industrial harvest is essential for those businesses," Fosburgh said. "We are seeing the the bait industry in the Chesapeake Bay down 88, 90% in the last five years."
Fosburgh said the effects extend beyond commercial crabbers to recreational fishing businesses and tackle shops that rely on menhaden availability.
He also argued that declining industrial catches should raise concerns about the overall availability of menhaden.
"These fishermen are good. They're the best in the world. They know how to catch fish," Fosburgh said. "And when they're not catching fish, and everybody up and down the coast is saying there are no fish, we ought to take that seriously."
The campaign supports stronger reductions than those currently under consideration, with Fosburgh saying he would ultimately favor a moratorium on industrial menhaden reduction fishing in the Chesapeake Bay.
The case against cuts
At public hearings, industry representatives pointed to the latest coastwide assessment, which found that Atlantic menhaden were not overfished and that overfishing was not occurring. The assessment covers the stock along the Atlantic Coast. The Choptank survey tracks relative abundance in one Chesapeake Bay tributary.
Residents and business supporters in Virginia told the board that Ocean Harvesters and Omega Protein provide jobs and support other businesses in and around Reedville, where menhaden are processed. They warned that a lower cap could affect workers and suppliers who depend on the fishery. The commission’s draft also notes that seasonal restrictions could make it harder for the plant to maintain a steady supply of fish.
The American Small Pelagics Network, an industry advocacy group, has also challenged the argument that declining catches necessarily indicate a declining menhaden population.
In a Nov. 8 statement, the organization pointed to unusually rough weather during the 2025 fishing season, saying the number of days under gale warnings from August through December was 53% above the previous 10-year average. The group argued that those conditions reduced opportunities for fishing vessels to operate, contributing to lower catches.
The competing arguments highlight a central disagreement over whether declining harvests are primarily the result of reduced fish availability, fishing pressure or other factors affecting commercial operations.
A separate coastwide decision
The board is also considering how much menhaden can be caught along the Atlantic Coast after 2026. This year’s coastwide limit is 186,840 metric tons. Some commenters called for a cut to 114,200 metric tons. The Forage Fish Campaign called for a limit of 74,000 metric tons and asked the board to start a separate process to end reduction fishing coastwide and reserve commercial quota for the bait fishery.
Fosburgh said he believes regulators must consider the economic importance of smaller fishing businesses alongside the jobs supported by industrial fishing operations.
The ASMFC's Atlantic Menhaden Board is set to select their management options either Tuesday or Wednesday during their regional conference in Rhode Island. This article will be updated.
