Atlantic menhaden Archives

Scientists did not recommend a 54 percent cut to the menhaden TAC

December 4, 2025 — In the weeks following the 2025 Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) annual meeting, a wave of statements from environmental and recreational fishing groups has told the public that Atlantic menhaden scientists “recommended” a 50 to 54 percent cut to the coastwide total allowable catch (TAC). According to a detailed 14-page analysis from the Menhaden Fisheries Coalition, that claim is not only inaccurate- the meeting record itself contradicts it.

Instead, the Coalition says ASMFC’s Technical Committee and Ecological Reference Point (ERP) Working Group did exactly what managers asked: they provided risk-based projections across a range of TAC scenarios, without recommending any one option. “There were no recommendations of preferred TAC made,” the Coalition reports. “The Technical Committee and the ERP Working Group supply projections and risk information; the commissioners decide policy.”

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

New analysis: No, scientists didn’t “recommend” a 54% menhaden cut

December 3, 2025 — The following was released by the Menhaden Fisheries Coalition:

In the weeks since the 2025 ASMFC Annual Meeting, there’s been a widespread misconception circulated by environmental and recreational fishing groups that the ASMFC Menhaden Board’s technical and scientific advisors “recommended” a 50% or 54% cut (to 108,450 mt) to the Atlantic menhaden total allowable catch (TAC), and that the Commission ignored those recommendations. That is not the case. Rather, scientists ran a set of “if–then” scenarios for managers, without making a preferred TAC recommendation. The Technical Committee and the ERP Working Group supply projections and risk information; the commissioners decide policy.

The Menhaden Fisheries Coalition has undertaken a detailed analysis and thorough review of all the meeting materials and reports, and of the entire recording of the meeting available online. It shows there is nowhere the Technical Committee (TC) or the ERP Working Group “recommends” a 54% cut, or any specific TAC. Staff consistently present options and risks at the Board’s request, not a recommendation.

The only time a 54% cut is presented as a recommendation is when Commissioner Proxy Matt Gates (CT) incorrectly described the option provided at the Board’s request as a recommendation. His motion reads: “I would like to make the motion for the TAC recommended in the TC and working groups memo that achieves a 50% probability of achieving the ecological reference point F target… move to set the TAC… at 108,450 metric tons….”

What the record shows (brief)

No staff “recommendation” for 54%. Technical staff presented options and risk probabilities at the Board’s request; they did not tell the Board which TAC to choose. The sole place a “recommendation” is claimed is the Gates motion quoted above. The staff materials do not recommend that TAC; they simply show it as one scenario.
Why 2025 numbers differ from 2022. The 2025 update uses a lower natural-mortality (M) estimate, which re-scales the entire 1955–present series (average biomass ≈ 37% lower vs. 2022). That’s a model re-interpretation, not a stock crash, total biomass is slightly higher than in 2021.
Considering economics is required. Section 6(a) of ASMFC’s ISFMP Charter: “Social and economic impacts and benefits must be taken into account.” The Board did exactly that.
The chosen 20% TAC reduction is biologically conservative.Projections show 0% probability of exceeding the ERP F-threshold (no overfishing) in 2026–2028, and only 2–4% risk of dipping below the fecundity threshold, nearly indistinguishable from a ~54% cut on that metric.
Threshold vs. target, in plain terms. The threshold is the do-not-cross line that ensures enough menhaden for today’s predators. The targetassumes a future in which striped bass are rebuilt and fished at their own F-target. That’s not today’s world, striped bass are overfished and being rebuilt at lower F.
Cutting menhaden alone can’t rebuild stripers. As Dr. Katie Drew told the Board (Feb. 2020): “you have to adjust all of them at once… if you don’t adjust the striped bass fishing mortality nothing you do to menhaden will bring that population back… we need to adjust both of them together.”

Read the full analysis here

Examples of the inaccurate “recommendation” narrative (links)

The American Sportfishing Association (ASA), in an article by Rob Shane titled Mixed Results from 2025 ASMFC Annual Meeting, states that “recent peer-reviewed science recommended a 54% quota cut” for Atlantic menhaden. (https://asafishing.org/advocacy/the-sportfishing-advocate/mixed-results-from-2025-asmfc/)
The National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) press release Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Annual Meeting Ends with Mixed Results for Recreational Anglers similarly says the Board implemented only a 20 percent reduction “despite peer-reviewed research recommending a 54% cut to the commercial quota.” (https://www.nmma.org/press/article/25298)
The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership has repeatedly asserted that “slashing the coastwide catch limit by more than half” or “more than 50 percent” is needed to follow the science in Menhaden Stock Assessment Indicates Catch Must Be Reduced to Benefit Striped Bass and again in Marine Fisheries Board Declines to Make Science-Based Reduction to Atlantic Menhaden Catch Limit. (https://www.trcp.org/2025/10/15/menhaden-stock-assessment-indicates-catch-must-be-reduced-to-benefit-striped-bass/; https://www.trcp.org/2025/10/28/marine-fisheries-board-declines-to-make-science-based-reduction-to-atlantic-menhaden-catch-limit/)
The American Saltwater Guides Association went further, urging “massive reductions” and telling readers that “the bottom line is we need a 55% reduction in the TAC for Atlantic menhaden” in Take The Cut: Massive Reductions for Menhaden Industry Necessary. (https://www.saltwaterguidesassociation.com/take-the-cut-massive-reductions-for-menhaden-industry-necessary/)
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation, in a press release by Vanessa Remmers titled Menhaden Management Meeting Results in Lackluster Coastwide Catch Reductions, told supporters that “The ASMFC menhaden stock assessments resulted in forecasts indicating the need for a 54 percent cut to the menhaden harvest to meet the needs of predators like striped bass, osprey, and marine mammals.” (https://www.cbf.org/news/menhaden-management-meeting-results-in-lackluster-coastwide-catch-reductions/)
Jim McDuffie, President and CEO of Bonefish and Tarpon Trust, in a press statement said: “While today’s vote resulted in a 20% reduction, it was far short of the reduction recommended by the Commission’s own scientists.” (https://stateportpilot.com/sports/article_24fe9863-7157-46f7-b8e0-a7327a3b2c8d.html)
The International Game Fish Association inaccurately stated in a press release that “scientists said that a quota of 108,000 MT was necessary to have a 50% chance of success of rebuilding the striped bass fishery.” (https://igfa.org/2025/10/29/fisheries-managers-fail-to-protect-menhaden-and-striped-bass/)
Sport Fishing magazine amplified the same narrative, reporting that ASMFC “implemented a 20 percent cut to the Atlantic commercial menhaden harvest, when peer-reviewed science recommended a 54 percent quota cut, according to an ASA press release” in Nick Carter’s Anglers Frustrated with Menhaden Management. (https://www.sportfishingmag.com/news/anglers-frustrated-with-menhaden-management/)
A Washington Post guest essay, It’s the ‘most important fish in the sea.’ And it’s disappearing. by Mark Robichaux, framed the controversy around the idea that managers failed to adopt the deep cuts “scientists recommend” (Nov. 20, 2025). (https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/11/20/menhaden-fishing-caps-atlantic-reduction/)

About the Menhaden Fisheries Coalition
The Menhaden Fisheries Coalition (MFC) is a collective of menhaden fishermen, related businesses, and supporting industries. Comprised of businesses along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, the Menhaden Fisheries Coalition conducts media and public outreach on behalf of the menhaden industry to ensure that members of the public, media, and government are informed of important issues, events, and facts about the fishery.

MAINE: Maine Department of Marine Resources seeks pogey harvesters’ input

November 26, 2025 — Maine’s Department of Marine Resources has scheduled an online meeting to solicit input from commercial menhaden harvesters for the 2026 season. The DMR is seeking the input from pogey fishermen as it develops management measures for the upcoming season.

The state’s preliminary allocation for the coming season is 19,571,649 pounds, with an Episodic Set Aside of 4,119,117 pounds. The ESA amounts to 1 percent of the total East Coast allocation and is shared among the states.

The ESA can be accessed by individual states once they have used their individual allocation, but large schools of menhaden are still available within their territory.

Atlantic menhaden—pogies—are the principal bait used by Maine lobstermen and a valuable part of the state’s fisheries economy.

Read the full article at Penobscot Bay Press

Atlantic Menhaden FAQ and Stock Assessment Overview

November 17, 2025, 2025 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

There’s been a lot of stakeholder discussion on the outcome of the October 28, 2025 meeting of the Commission’s Atlantic Menhaden Management Board. Some of the information being shared reflects a misunderstanding of the findings of the single-species assessment update and Ecological Reference Point Benchmark Stock Assessment, as well as the Board’s response to the assessments’ findings.

The Commission developed an FAQ and an Overview of the Atlantic Menhaden Stock Assessment Update and ERP Benchmark Stock Assessment to help explain how the Commission coordinates Atlantic menhaden management and the science behind recent Management Board decisions. We hope you find these helpful.

LOUISIANA: Commission Proposes Menhaden Buffer Expansion to Protect Chandeleur Islands and Other Sensitive Areas

November 17, 2025 — Louisiana’s menhaden fishery has long been defined by respect – respect for the Gulf, for science, and for the coastal communities that depend on both. This month, the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission approved a Notice of Intent (NOI) to adjust nearshore buffer zones for menhaden fishing, the latest step in Louisiana’s effort to balance ecological protection with sustainable working waters – expanding protections in sensitive areas while refining limits in less fragile zones.

The adjustment follows a directive from the Commission to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) to consult with both the menhaden industry and recreational fishermen to strengthen existing rules. The resulting proposal increases the buffer zone by over 4% – from 264 to 276 square miles – enhancing protections in sensitive habitats while adjusting historically important fishing grounds, where Louisiana’s menhaden industry has fished for over 75 years.

What the Buffer Zone Adjustment Includes

The proposal expands protections in Louisiana’s most ecologically sensitive areas while restoring access in long-fished waters where new research shows limited environmental impact. The newly proposed rule would modify existing menhaden buffer zones along several parts of Louisiana’s coast:

Expanded protections in the Chandeleur Islands and around Isle Dernieres, and adjusted buffer areas in select regions (Cameron Jetties to Rutherford Beach, Mermentau River to Rollover, Point Au Fer to Bayou Grand Caillou, Bay Long to Southwest Pass) based on LDWF’s scientific assessment.
Creation of a new open-water connection between Baptiste Collette and Breton Island, improving alignment between existing buffer zones and coastal geography within Breton and Chandeleur Sounds.
Technical and organizational updates, including clearer structure and the addition of GPS coordinates for existing buffers around Elmer’s Island, Grand Isle, and Grand Terre, enhancing clarity, transparency, and enforcement.

Read the full article at NOLA.com

LOUISIANA: In win for commercial menhaden industry, LWF Commission approves controversial loosened regulations

November 7, 2025 — The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission on Thursday advanced a plan to decrease the size of a no-fishing zone after members of the commercial menhaden fishing industry complained that guidelines put in place last year had cut their haul by up to 25 percent.

The panel last year had restricted menhaden boats to areas at least a half-mile offshore at points west of the Mississippi River. At its meeting Thursday, members voted 4-3 to approve a notice of intent to decrease the buffer zone to a quarter-mile in some areas, but increase it in other areas deemed more sensitive.

Hundreds of recreational anglers in attendance opposed the pullback. They had wanted the commission to push the buffer zone out to a mile offshore.

Read the full article at WBRZ

2026 Cap on Menhaden Catch Cut by 20%

November 6, 2025 — The cut was approved by ASMFC’s Menhaden Management Board, which reviewed both the updated single-species stock assessment for menhaden and the 2025 Ecological Reference Points (ERPs) Assessment and Peer Review Reports.

The ERP model used Atlantic striped bass as the focal predator species. According to ASMFC, striped bass are the most sensitive predator fish when considering the menhaden harvest.

ASMFC said the goal of the ERPs is to maximize sustainable menhaden harvest while ensuring adequate forage for striped bass. Menhaden are considered a critical forage species.

The assessment found that menhaden are not currently overfished, nor is overfishing occurring based on current benchmarks.

However, fishing mortality exceeded the target, and fecundity—a measure of egg production—was below the target.

As a result, the Board set the 2026 TAC at 186,840 metric tons, down from the 2023–2025 TAC of 233,550 metric tons.

Read the full article at News On The Neck

New quota reduces amount of lobster bait Maine fishermen can catch

November 3, 2025 — The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission approved a 20 percent reduction in the catch of “menhaden,” an important lobster bait more commonly known as “pogies.”

Read the full article at Fox 23

ASMFC Atlantic Menhaden Board Reduces 2026 TAC by 20% and Initiates Addendum for Chesapeake Bay Cap

October 31, 2025 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Commission’s Atlantic Menhaden Management Board received the results of the single-species assessment update and the 2025 Ecological Reference Points (ERPs) Assessment and Peer Review Reports and accepted the ERPs Assessment and Peer Review Report for management use. The goal of the ERPs is to maximize Atlantic menhaden fishing mortality while also accounting for the forage demands of Atlantic striped bass. Atlantic striped bass was the focal species for the reference points because it was the most sensitive predator fish species to Atlantic menhaden harvest in the NWACS-MICE model, so an ERP target and threshold that would provide adequate forage for striped bass would likely not cause declines for other predators in the model. The single-species assessment indicates the stock is not overfished nor experiencing overfishing relative to the ERPs developed through the benchmark assessment.

However, fishing mortality (F) was above the ERP F target and fecundity (a measure of the number of eggs the stock can produce in a year) was below the ERP fecundity target. Therefore, the Board set the 2026 total allowable catch (TAC) at 186,840 mt, a 20% decrease from the 2023-2025 TAC of 233,550 mt. Projections indicated this TAC would have a 0% chance of overfishing in 2026 but would still result in a 100% probability of fishing mortality being above the ERP F target. To have a lower probability of being at or above the ERP F target, a 50% or more reduction in the TAC would be required. The Board expressed concerns about the socioeconomic impact of implementing such a significant cut in a single year and chose to take a more moderate cut for 2026 only. This change will provide the Board time to conduct outreach on the results of this new assessment and receive more input from stakeholders before considering a TAC for 2027, 2028 and potentially 2029 at the 2026 Annual Meeting.

The need for reduction to achieve the ERP F target is due primarily to the change in the estimate of natural mortality used in the single-species stock assessment update, and secondarily to the lower values for the ERPs as a result of the updated and refined ERP model from the benchmark. The 2025 single-species assessment used a revised value of natural mortality that was lower than the value used in the 2020 benchmark and 2022 update. Natural mortality is the rate at which fish die from causes other than fishing; for menhaden, this includes things like predation, disease, and die-offs caused by low oxygen and warm water. This change was reviewed as part of the 2025 ERP Benchmark Assessment, and the Peer Review Panel agreed it represented the best available scientific information on natural mortality for Atlantic menhaden. Using a lower value of natural mortality in the stock assessment results in a lower overall estimate of population size. When a high estimate of natural mortality is used, the model estimates the population needs to be very large to produce the catches and the trends in observed indices. But, if natural mortality is lower, it means fewer fish are dying due to natural causes, meaning the stock does not need to be as large to produce the observed data.

This lower overall estimate of menhaden abundance was also used in the ecosystem models to establish the ERPs. This change, combined with updating estimates of predator (striped bass, bluefish, weakfish, and spiny dogfish) population sizes and diet data as well as refining the ecosystem model structure resulted in lower estimates of the ERP F target and threshold. The ERP assessment, which was endorsed by an independent panel of fisheries scientists, used the Northwest Atlantic Coastal Shelf Model of Intermediate Complexity for Ecosystems (NWACS-MICE) to develop Atlantic menhaden ERPs. The model was chosen because of its ability to explore both the impacts of predators on menhaden biomass and the effects of menhaden harvest on predator populations.

The Board also initiated an addendum to Amendment 3 to consider options to reduce the Chesapeake Bay Reduction Fishery Cap by up to 50% and distribute the cap more evenly throughout the fishing season. The options will aim to alleviate a concentration of effort that may be affecting other fisheries within the Bay and other potential ecological impacts. The Board discussed concerns regarding decreasing pound net harvests and catch per unit effort within the Bay as the timing of reduction fishing effort has changed the last few years. Amendment 3 currently caps reduction harvest within the Bay at 51,000 mt per year. The Board will review the Draft Addendum in February to consider the draft for public comment or provide additional guidance to the Plan Development Team for further development.

The Assessment Update, the Benchmark ERP Stock Assessment, Peer Review Report, and an overview of will be available on the Atlantic Menhaden webpage athttps://asmfc.org/species/atlantic-menhaden/ under News and Resources. For more information, please contact James Boyle, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at jboyle@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.

Major menhaden fishing company says quota cuts will likely lead to “operational adjustments”

October 30, 2025 — The largest menhaden fishing company in the U.S. announced it will likely need to reexamine its operations in 2026 due to proposed cuts to the total allowable catch (TAC) for Atlantic menhaden.

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) voted on 28 October to cut the 2026 Atlantic menhaden TAC by 20 percent, reducing it from 233,550 metric tons (MT) to 186,840 MT. The vote drew criticism from both the fishing industry and environmental groups, with the industry calling it unnecessary and environmental groups claiming it ignores problems with the stock.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource