Big Decisions Loom on Menhaden Harvests in Chesapeake Bay, East Coast

Big decisions loom on menhaden harvests in Chesapeake Bay, East Coast

A big fight over a little fish that no one eats comes to a head this week after decades of debate, with East Coast fishery managers set to decide whether to slash industrial-scale harvests of Atlantic menhaden in the Chesapeake Bay and along the East Coast as well.

Better data, better decisions for bay

When Virginians debate the future of Atlantic menhaden, they are debating more than a small, schooling fish. Underpinning their conversations are concerns about the health of the Chesapeake Bay, the future of its fisheries, the welfare of coastal communities, and…

Chesapeake Bay Foundation Calls for Tightening Menhaden Limits.

Data raise questions about menhaden population ahead of key commission decision As the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) weighs new limits for the industrial menhaden harvest in the Chesapeake Bay, the reduction fishery industry’s haul for the 2025 season came in well below limits set for both the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Coast, according to data released this ...