May 7, 2015 — The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission on Tuesday agreed to increase the allowable catch for menhaden by 10 percent after recent data suggested the population might not be as bad off as once thought.
Menhaden are managed by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, which also manages East Coast fishery species. A benchmark stock assessment from 2009 to 2011 led the ASMFC to order East Coast states to impose a 20 percent reduction on the menhaden fishery, and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources put that reduction into place in 2013.
Watermen say there are plenty of menhaden in the Chesapeake Bay.