After increasing pressure from a number of groups, a key fishing board may soon implement new commercial fishing restrictions along the Atlantic coast.
As Maryland Matters reported, the Atlantic States Marine Commission's menhaden management board has voted to explore options for increasing maximum limits for menhaden hauls. The move would aim to protect and better manage fish populations in the Chesapeake Bay, specifically the menhaden.
The Atlantic menhaden have long been sought after for their value as fish meal and bait. For companies like Omega Protein, which contracts Ocean Harvesters, the small fish are a vital source of omega-3 fatty acids used in health supplements. However, the company is currently capped at 51 metric tons of menhaden, a figure that some argue is still too high.
Lynn Fegley of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources introduced the motion to tighten restrictions after claiming that menhaden are not reaching Maryland's waters. Instead, Fegley explained that Omega Protein's Virginia-based fishery is greatly diminishing the menhaden population. "We understand that this is a coastwide issue," Fegley said, per Maryland Matters. "We understand that things are changing … there is significant effort by a large-scale fishery in the Chesapeake Bay. The fish were there, but they were not where we are."
It's pretty clear that big Menhaden are no longer in any great abundance in the Bay north of the Omega fleet, at least in summer. Is it causing problems with Striped Bass and Ospreys? It's pretty hard to prove, but it would make sense.
The Wombat has Rule Five Sunday: The End of Summer up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.
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