ASMFC Board Weighs Changes to Chesapeake Bay Menhaden Catch Cap

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission is considering changes to the regulatory cap on the amount of menhaden that may be harvested from the Chesapeake Bay for reduction purposes.

A draft addendum prepared for the commission’s Atlantic Menhaden Management Board presents options ranging from maintaining the current 51,000-metric-ton cap to reducing it by as much as 50%. The board could also establish a formula that would automatically adjust the Chesapeake Bay cap when the coastwide menhaden quota changes.

The proposals remain under review and have not been adopted. The draft was prepared for consideration during the board’s August 2026 meeting and is not yet open for formal public comment.

The Chesapeake Bay Reduction Fishery Cap applies only to menhaden harvested from waters shoreward of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel and processed into products such as fish meal and fish oil. It is separate from the coastwide total allowable catch and does not limit bait harvest in the Bay or reduction fishing in the Atlantic Ocean.

Changes to the Bay cap also would not alter Virginia’s overall allocation of the coastwide quota. Because the cap has generally not been reached, and fishing can occur outside the Bay, a reduction in the regulatory ceiling would not necessarily produce an equal reduction in the industry’s total landings.

The current Bay cap has remained at 51,000 metric tons since 2018, except for a temporary reduction in 2020 to account for a 2019 overage. Meanwhile, the coastwide quota has changed several times.

For 2026, the coastwide total allowable catch was reduced by 20%, from 233,550 to 186,840 metric tons. Because the Bay cap was not changed at the same time, it increased from 21.8% to 27.3% of the coastwide quota.

Virginia currently receives 75.21% of the coastwide quota and allocates 90.04% of its share to the reduction sector. The commission estimates that leaving the Bay cap unchanged following the coastwide quota reduction increased the portion of Virginia’s potential reduction harvest that could come from the Chesapeake Bay from 32% to 40%.

The draft states that allowing that percentage to fluctuate whenever the coastwide quota changes may be inconsistent with the original purpose of the Bay cap.

Under one proposal, the board could make a one-time reduction to the 51,000-metric-ton cap. The options include:

• A 10% reduction, establishing a cap of 45,900 metric tons
• A 20% reduction, establishing a cap of 40,800 metric tons
• A 30% reduction, establishing a cap of 35,700 metric tons
• A 50% reduction, establishing a cap of 25,500 metric tons

The board could choose to phase in a reduction over several years.

Another option would establish the Bay cap as a percentage of the coastwide quota. Depending on the percentage selected, the cap would range from 13.6% to 27.3% of the coastwide total. It would then rise or fall automatically with future coastwide quota changes, subject to upper and lower limits selected by the board.

The addendum also proposes dividing the annual Bay cap among three seasonal periods. The available options would distribute the quota evenly or reserve as much as half of the permitted harvest for the final portion of the season.

Commission staff said more than half of the Bay’s annual reduction-fishery landings occurred during a six-week midsummer period in both 2023 and 2024. Seasonal limits are intended to reduce concentrated fishing pressure and support the availability of menhaden to other fisheries and predators.

Menhaden are an important source of food for striped bass, bluefish and other species. The commission noted, however, that available scientific information is not sufficient to determine fully how fishing pressure affects the abundance and distribution of menhaden within the Chesapeake Bay. Environmental conditions, habitat, migration and predation may also influence the number and location of fish.

The proposed changes are therefore being presented as precautionary management measures.

If the board approves the draft for public review, a public-comment period and hearings are expected between August and October. The board is scheduled to consider final management options in November 2026.

The draft also includes an option requiring the board to review the Chesapeake Bay cap at least once every three years. A timetable for implementing any approved changes has not been established.