CCA Applauds Major Step in the Right Direction for Menhaden

Annapolis, MD – The future of menhaden and the Chesapeake Bay both look considerably brighter after the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries commission (ASMFC) voted to take the first steps toward capping commercial harvest in the Bay. During its meeting in Virginia, the ASMFC voted to limit commercial harvest of menhaden at current levels until further studies can be conducted to determine the status of the fishery.

“We have finally achieved a positive, tangible measure regarding the management of menhaden in Chesapeake Bay, a fish vital to the health of a resurging striped bass population,” said Sherman Baynard of CCA Maryland. “This is only the beginning of a long process, but the end result will be a greater understanding of the significance of menhaden in the Bay, and a greater appreciation for the roles they play.”

Coastal Conservation Association is a part of a cooperative effort known as Menhaden Matter, whose other members include Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Environmental Defense and the National Coalition
for Marine Conservation. The groups have been urging the appropriate management bodies to take “precautionary measures,” including catch limits, to protect menhaden from unregulated harvesting by industrial purse seine operators.

If the cap proposed on Wednesday takes effect, the industrial menhaden catch would be limited in 2006 and 2007 to about 110,000 metric tons a year, the average industrial catch in the Chesapeake over the last five years. Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) has long been concerned that unrestricted harvest has depleted menhaden stocks in the Bay and deprived it of both a principal filter feeder and prime forage food source for a variety of game fish.

“Every menhaden is important, not just the spawning stock,” said CCA Atlantic States Fisheries Director Dick Brame. “They all play a critical forage role for a variety of fish, from the smallest grey trout to the largest striped bass. The goal of this effort is not to put anyone out of business. It is to implement precautionary conservation measures so that there are enough menhaden to fulfill their important roles in the Bay ecosystem.”

Over the next few months, ASMFC will hold hearings to take public comment and refine the plan. A final decision will be made later this year and any limit on harvest would likely become effective in 2006.

“As more information is developed we will know what the next step will be, but for right now, capping the harvest while we fill in the pieces to this puzzle is simply responsible management,” said Baynard. “This is the beginning of a long, very public process, but we applaud the ASMFC for taking the first critical step.”