I wish I could achieve this level of nastiness on this worthy subject:
Of Mice and Men … haden. Menhaden are small, oily, inedible fish that once swam in great quantity in the Bay. Essentially useless as a food for humans, menhaden are among the greatest of delicacies for many of the Bay’s famous fish. Striped bass, bluefish and weakfish will stand in long lines for a table at the Menhaden Cafe. At least, they used to dine at the Menhaden Cafe. That was before the Virginia legislature bucked pressure from the other Atlantic seaboard states and let a Texas company do its level best to wipe out the Menhaden stock in the Chesapeake Bay. This cowardly action has led to a deplorable drop in the menhaden stock.
A silver fish with green highlights. The only saltwater fish in Virginia regulated directly by the General Assembly is the menhaden. This is because the menhaden is the only fish that can turn directly into campaign contributions from its greatest enemy – the Omega Protein Company. Based in Houston, Texas, but operating out of Reedville, Virginia, the Omega Protein Company uses its ten factory ships, planes and helicopters to pillage the Chesapeake Bay of its menhaden. Omega is such a pariah in the marine management world that every Atlantic state, except Virginia, has banned its factory ships from their coastal waters (although North Carolina allows limited access). Virginia’s love affair with Omega Protein is buoyed by waves of cash. $55,000 to Gov Bob McDonnell, $106,000 to state legislators, $53,000 to Virginia’s federal politicians and another cool $3M in lobbying. All of which has given the Clown Show in Richmond sufficient “courage” to persecute the little fish to the edge of extinction.
The Clown show in question...
The Good, the Bad and the Clown Show. Four separate bills were introduced into the General Assembly’s 2012 session regarding menhaden management. The bad bill was SB18 patroned by Sen. Richard Stuart, R-Westmoreland. Stuart’s bill was a half-assed attempt to have Virginia resign from ASMFC once that organization voted to limit menhaden fishing. The bill was reported out of committee on a 9 – 6 vote. However, it was carried over until 2013 by the Finance Committee on a 14-0 vote. The menhaden have a reprieve of at least another year and Sen Stuart gets to tell his constituents that he tried. Actually, Stuart is a good enough guy. He has pressed legislation to reduce phosphate pollution and is sensitive to conservation efforts. The good bill was SB466 patroned by Sen Ralph Northam, D-Norfolk. Sen Northam’s bill was the mirror opposite of Sen. Stuart’s bill. It specifically authorized Virginia’s regulator to adopt the ASMFC’s fisheries plan for menhaden. It was also continued to 2013 with a 15 – 0 vote in committee. The General Assembly’s inability to get much of anything done was a blessing. They’ll get to solicit more money from Omega to join battle next year and I’ll get to put more delicious striped bass, bluefish and weakfish on my table.
Read the whole thing. I just bookmarked this site for future reference.
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