Chesapeake Bay group says new rules on Atlantic menhaden catch limits don't go far enough

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation says catch limits set this week on Atlantic menhaden do not go far enough and additional measures are necessary to protect the fish and other forms of wildlife that depend on it. 

The new limits were set Wednesday by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's Atlantic menhaden board. The rules reduced the catch limit for the Chesapeake Bay by about one-third over the next two years.  

Menhaden are an important fish in marine food chains because they help feed other kinds of wildlife, such as osprey, striped bass, bluefish, numerous other fish species and some mammals.

The new limit covering the Chesapeake Bay adds up to 33,847 metric tons, down from the current cap of 51,000 metric tons. 

New rules link Chesapeake Bay limits to coast-wide caps

The Atlantic menhaden board also set new catch limits for menhaden caught along the Atlantic coast from Maine to Florida. The new rules cut the coast-wide limit by nine percent in 2027 and a further nine percent in 2028. This limit caps the fish catches to 170,000 metric tons in 2027, and to 155,000 metric tons in 2028. 

In another move, the Atlantic menhaden board also set the Chesapeake Bay cap at 21.8 percent of the overall coast-wide catch limit. That cap is limited to a ceiling of 51,000 metric tons. 

While the Chesapeake Bay Foundation welcomes the newly set limits as progress, it says the coast-wide, in particular, fall way short of having a significant impact on menhaden populations. On the menhaden board's action, the foundation's Forage Campaign Manager, Will Poston, said the group "failed to follow its own ecosystem science when it mattered most."

"We thank representatives from Maryland, New York, Connecticut, North Carolina, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island for standing up for science-based menhaden management. But we are extremely disappointed with other states and the federal agencies that once again folded on true ecosystem-based menhaden management," said Poston. 

New caps "real progress" but "not the finish line"

In a statement issued as it announced the new limits, the Atlantic menhaden board said its caps were chosen to "strike a balance between these priorities in managing this species that is critically important to both the ecosystem and Atlantic coast fisheries." It added that the decision "was not entered into lightly and the board wrestled with some of the scientific uncertainties around the issues."

On the Chesapeake Bay limits, Poston said that while the action represents "a hard-earned win," it is "not the finish line."

"Reaching the lowest Bay cap on record is real progress toward a healthy Bay," he added. "But more must be done to protect menhaden and the wildlife that depend on them. That includes ensuring upcoming research is rigorous, transparent, and free from undue industry influence."

Poston added, "We'll keep fighting for stronger protections that leave more menhaden in the water to sustain wildlife and the communities that depend on them."