RICHMOND, Va. (WFXR) — A budget amendment will be considered by the Virginia General Assembly to fund a three year study of Atlantic menhaden in Virginia’s portion of the Chesapeake Bay.
The amendment is patroned by Del. Paul Milde (R-Stafford).
“By investing in this research, we can make informed decisions about menhaden management and protect this vital species for future generations,” said Milde.
Sportfishing, commercial fishing, and conservation groups have complained about what they say is a decline in the number of menhaden in the Chesapeake in recent years. They say that has led to a decline in fish and wildlife species in the region around the bay. They want a study done on the status of menhaden in the Chesapeake.
Menhaden are a vital forage species. Gamefish, dolphins, whales, ospreys, and other fish and wildlife species depend on them for a good portion of their diet.
Menhaden are also the target of an industrial reduction fishery. Virginia is the only state on the Atlantic coast that allows such a fishery in an estuary like the Chesapeake Bay. Only one company is engaged in that fishery; Omega Protein. Omega’s Virginia operations are in Reedville. Spotter planes and electronics are used to locate the fish, and then large purse seine net boats harvest them.
Critics say industrial fishing is having an impact on menhaden numbers. However, Omega points to coast-wide research that shows menhaden populations to be healthy and sustainable.
Omega was part of a stakeholder workgroup that developed the study under consideration. The company says it has supported other research in the past, but any current study must take into consideration the fact that schools of menhaden are always on the move.
“As it relates to the Chesapeake Bay, we believe that researchers and regulators should understand the population dynamics of menhaden in and out of the Bay; however that task is difficult, “said Omega spokesperson Ben Landry. “In 2021, the ASMFC Menhaden Technical Committee developed a blueprint for studying menhaden in the Bay over time, since the population changes as they seasonally migrate. It is comprehensive and takes a thoughtful approach to answering this important question.”
Funding for the study was tabled last year in committee without explanation. That has raised questions among conservation and sportfishing groups that say even though coastal research shows good menhaden numbers, there is no research on localized impact in the Chesapeake.
“Politics is overriding environmental policy,” said Virginia Saltwater Sportfishing Association President Steve Atkinson. “What’s the cost to the Bay? No one knows because there’s no real science on Chesapeake Bay menhaden.”