ASMFC delays action for on menhaden regs

Action on potential new protections for Atlantic menhaden in the Chesapeake Bay has been delayed following a vote this week by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission.

The Commission had been expected to advance Draft Addendum II of its Interstate Fishery Management Plan for public comment, but instead voted unanimously to delay action and form a work group to further study the proposal. The issue is now expected to return for consideration at the Commission’s August meeting.

Draft Addendum II outlines several options aimed at addressing concerns about menhaden in the Chesapeake Bay. Among those options are a potential reduction in the cap on the Bay’s “reduction” fishery, by as much as 50 percent, and measures to spread harvesting activity more evenly throughout the season.

Supporters of additional protections, including the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, say the changes are needed to address concerns about forage availability for predators such as osprey and to ensure adequate bait supplies for watermen who depend on menhaden for blue crab fishing.

At the same time, fisheries managers have emphasized that Atlantic menhaden are not considered overfished on a coastwide basis, and overfishing is not currently occurring, according to data from ASMFC and the Virginia Marine Resources Commission. Regulators have noted, however, that questions about localized impacts within the Chesapeake Bay remain under review.

The delay means the proposal will not move forward to public comment this summer as originally anticipated.

In a statement, Chesapeake Bay Foundation Forage Campaign Manager Will Poston called the delay “frustrating,” but said action later this year could still allow new measures to take effect by 2027.

Menhaden play a key role in the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem as a primary food source for species such as striped bass and osprey, while also supporting Virginia’s commercial fishing industry.

The debate over how best to manage the fishery, balancing ecological concerns with economic interests, continues as regulators work toward a revised proposal.