Saving Seafood

VIRGINIA: Northumberland board shows support for Ocean Harvesters, Omega Protein

September 17, 2026 — In advance of potential action by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) to further reduce the Chesapeake Bay Reduction Fishery Cap (bay cap), Northumberland supervisors on Thursday, September 10, unanimously adopted a resolution in support of Ocean Harvesters and Omega Protein.

In person public hearings to address the Atlantic Menhaden Draft Addendum II are slated from 10 a.m.-noon Saturday, September 19, at Northumberland High School, 201 Academic Lane, Heathsville; and from 6-8 p.m. September 28, at the Virginia Marine Resources Commission, 380 Fenwick Road. Building 96, Fort Monroe.

Copies of the resolution were sent to ASMFC, Virginia Marine Resources Commission, Gov. Abigail Spanberger, Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources David Bulova, Del. Hillary Pugh Kent, Sen. Richard Stuart, Rep. Rob Wittman, U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine and U.S. Sen. Mark Warner.

Read the full article at Rappahannock Record

Editorial: Menhaden study should provide data needed for bay management

July 10, 2026 — Menhaden may be a relatively small fish but they have an outsized presence in ongoing debates about the health of the Chesapeake Bay. The menhaden industry and environmental groups have sparred for years over what constitutes sustainable fishing and how the annual catch affects the critical ecosystem on which so much depends.

By including $2 million in the recently approved state budget for a neutral and clear-eyed study of menhaden, Virginia lawmakers hope to provide the data needed to chart a thoughtful path forward. This is long overdue, and both sides of the debate are right to celebrate this important step by the commonwealth.

Prized for their energy-rich oil, Atlantic menhaden play a central role in the Chesapeake ecosystem, as they have done since long before Europeans settlers arrived here centuries ago. They eat plankton and small plants that improve the water quality while also serving as a primary food source for other bay animal and marine life, from striped bass to ospreys to whales.

Read the full article at The Virginian Pilot 

VIRGINIA: Virginia budget funds long-awaited research on menhaden in the Chesapeake Bay

June 30, 2026 — Virginia’s final budget, passed by the General Assembly Monday, includes funding for a highly anticipated study investigating menhaden in the Chesapeake Bay.

An amendment from Gov. Abigail Spanberger allocates $2 million to William & Mary’s Virginia Institute of Marine Science for research during the next two years, in collaboration with the Virginia Marine Resources Commission.

Environmentalists and recreational anglers have raised concerns in recent years about what they say is an apparent decline in the menhaden population and in the species that feed on it, such as ospreys and striped bass.

Advocates point fingers at the menhaden fishing industry. Virginia is the last East Coast state that permits menhaden reduction fishing. (Others allow fishermen to catch menhaden as bait.)

Industry officials say there’s no evidence that menhaden are being overfished, pointing to assessments by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. Environmental groups say coastwide data could obscure a localized decline in the Chesapeake Bay.

Monty Deihl, CEO of Ocean Harvesters, said in a statement that the company is “extremely pleased” about the funding.

He said it will complement an ongoing project launched last fall by the National Science Foundation’s Science Center for Marine Fisheries, which is funded by industry members, including Omega Protein and Ocean Harvesters.

Read the full article at WHRO

Governor Spanberger sends compromised Virginia budget proposal back with 14 amendments

June 29, 2026 — Governor Abigail Spanberger has sent the compromised Virginia budget proposal back to lawmakers with 14 amendments.

These changes would require an additional $62 million of the State’s remaining surplus, which currently sits at about $179 million.

The General Assembly will convene for a special session in Richmond on Monday, just one day ahead of the deadline, to vote on the changes.

Read the full article at WWMT