Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine proposed Monday to limit the amount of Atlantic Menhaden fish caught in the Chesapeake Bay while researchers investigate the species’ importance to the Bay’s ecosystem.
The proposal would cap the amount of menhaden caught at about 109,000 metric tons per year. If industrial fisheries do not catch the allotted amount one year, they can catch more the next year.
Virginia had to implement the cap to meet requirements set by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, which regulates fishing within the Atlantic coastal states.
“I am pleased today to announce a menhaden management proposal that will protect the health of the menhaden fishery, foster additional scientific research and protect fishery-related jobs,” Kaine said in a statement.
The menhaden is considered the “most important fish” in the Bay, Bill Goldsborough, Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s fisheries program chief said. The filter feeders remove large amounts of nitrogen-producing algae from the bay and are the primary food for striped bass, or rockfish.
Low reproduction rates for menhaden over the past 12 years translate into skinny striped bass, which are also reporting higher rates of infection and lower survival rates, effecting a second important fish industry, Goldsborough said.
“We have a bunch of warning signs about a concern, about a problem, but no conclusive information that proves you need to take A, B and C steps to improve it,” Goldsborough said, stating the governor’s proposal is important for not expanding harvests while encouraging research to find a solution.
The cap was based on a five-year catch average of the Omega Protein Corporation, the largest menhaden fishery in the Bay. Omega catches some 80 percent — or about 100,000 metric tons — of the fish each year.
The proposal “will have no material effect on the company” and is more of a precautionary measure, Toby Gascon, an Omega Protein spokesman said. The firm will help with the research.
Maryland Gov.Robert Ehrlich “applauded” Kaine’s proposal.
Maryland has advocated a cap on menhaden fishing for years and working to bring “stakeholders together to find a resolution,” said Harry Fawell, an Ehrlich spokesman.
Atlantic Menhaden
» Filter feeders
» Swim in large schools
» Usually caught by purse seines
» Processed for fish meal or oil used in animal foods
» Processed for oil for pharmaceuticals
» Oil approved for Omega 3 supplements
