CBF Letter on menhaden bill

Chris Moore, Chesapeake Bay Foundation Senior Scientist

Virginia’s menhaden fishery continues to be a hot topic on the Eastern Shore after net spills by Omega Protein fouled local beaches last summer with thousands of dead menhaden and red drum. Many residents and visitors were forced to avoid the beautiful beaches and waters that attract people to the Shore. These spills and the associated loss of red drum added to the concerns many have long had about the industrial harvest of menhaden in waters so close to the Eastern Shore.

Virginia legislators are now considering a menhaden study bill (Senate Bill 1388) introduced by Senator Lewis that would be an important step forward. This legislation would initiate much needed research on the menhaden fishery in the Chesapeake Bay. It would also develop a rigorous observer program for Virginia’s menhaden fishery that could document data on the menhaden harvest, bycatch, and net spills. Perhaps mostly importantly, it would evaluate tools that could be used to better assess the current menhaden population in the Chesapeake Bay.

Passage of Senate Bill 1388 would be an important step in developing the data needed to better understand the impacts of the state’s menhaden fishery and ensure a healthy menhaden population for all Virginians.