November 12, 2026 — Seeking to balance ecological and economic needs, East Coast fishery managers have decided to curb the commercial menhaden harvest along the Atlantic coast by 17% over the next two years — far less than what conservationists demanded but much more than what commercial fishers wanted.
Meeting in Newport, RI, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission voted Nov. 10 to cut the allowable coastwide catch by 9% in 2027 and by another 9% in 2028. The move was portrayed as a compromise to help struggling Atlantic striped bass and maybe ospreys without putting New England lobstermen and Virginia’s menhaden fleet out of business.
Menhaden are fatty fish that serve as food for other fish and wildlife, including ospreys and striped bass. Environmentalists worry that the declines in these predators are due to a decline of menhaden in the Chesapeake Bay, which has only been documented through fishermen harvest totals.
Menhaden also serve as lobster and crab bait for commercial fisheries from Maine to the Carolinas. The East Coast harvest is dwarfed, though, by the menhaden fishery in the Chesapeake Bay. Omega Protein, based in Reedville, VA, and its fishing partner Ocean Harvesters catch tens of thousands of tons of menhaden annually to pulverize or “reduce” them into fish oil and fish meal.