No Fish Story: Time to Drastically Cut Menhaden Limits | Guest Column

The management of menhaden, a vital public resource, has been extremely disappointing over the past decade as citizens have repeatedly called for protection of these critical forage fish, only to have the status quo prevail.

Recently thousands of coastal anglers and associated businesses were hoping for meaningful regulatory action on this fish that serves as the base of the marine food chain and powers Virginia’s fishing and commercial crabbing economy. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) had finally admitted what most of us suspected — menhaden populations have been badly overstated, and because of their importance to striped bass and other species, the coast-wide menhaden quota should be cut by at least 50% to support the recovery of the multibillion-dollar Atlantic striped bass fishery.

After much discussion the commission approved a 20% reduction in the quota of menhaden for 2026, a new annual limit of 186,840 metric tons, still a mind- numbing number especially considering that many forage fish have collapsed due to over harvesting. Atlantic herring, for example, are all but gone, and the lobster industry now also relies on menhaden as their primary bait. What most don’t understand is that the lower quota has no meaningful impact because the reduction industry, which reduces these fish to animal food, will still be allowed to harvest more than they have actually been catching. Yes, more! They receive an astonishing 70% of the entire coastal quota and have not been able to hit that target for several years. Will menhaden be the next forage fish to collapse?

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