Saving Seafood

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 

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.                    
 
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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

Menhaden board cuts amount harvesters can catch along the Atlantic next year

October 30, 2025 — The coastwide catch limit will be reduced by 20%, which is less than environmental and recreational fishing groups had hoped after a recently reported decline in the menhaden population.

Officials who regulate the Atlantic menhaden industry continue to wrestle with how to balance the fishery business with growing concerns about the ecosystem.

After hours of back-and-forth and competing motions, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission voted Tuesday to reduce the coastwide catch limit by 20% for next year’s season.

The compromise was less than what environmental groups and recreational anglers wanted and more than the industry did. Virginia’s delegation voted against it.

Board members agreed to revisit the topic next fall, with the potential for further cuts for 2027 and 2028.

The commission helps manage fisheries for 15 states along the East Coast, from Florida to Maine. That includes setting the total allowable catch, or TAC, the maximum amount of menhaden that can be harvested along the coast.

Virginia is allocated about 75% of the total because it’s the last East Coast state that permits menhaden reduction fishing.

Ocean Harvesters, which operates a fishing fleet to supply Omega Protein, collects menhaden by using large walls of netting called purse seines. Omega then processes, or “reduces,” them into fishmeal and fish oil at a plant in Reedville.

Read the full article at the WHRO

ASMFC approves 20 percent cuts to Atlantic menhaden quota for 2026

October 29, 2025 — The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) has chosen to cut the 2026 Atlantic menhaden quota by 20 percent for 2026, drawing criticism from the fishing industry and environmental groups alike.

The ASMFC menhaden management board met on 28 October and decided to reduce the total allowable catch (TAC) for menhaden to 186,840 metric tons (MT), down 20 percent from the 233,550-MT quota the commission set for 2025. The reduction was based on a number of different factors, including ecological reference points (ERPs) that include interactions between fishing mortality rates and striped bass, as well as other predator biomass targets, and a lower estimated fecundity of menhaden.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Groups push back after ASMFC approves 20 percent menhaden quota cut

October 29, 2025 — The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) voted this week to approve a 20 percent cut to the 2026 Atlantic menhaden quota, a decision that New England Fishermen say will have far-reaching effects on bait supply and working waterfronts across the East Coast.

At its 83rd Annual Meeting in Dewey Beach, Delaware, the ASMFC’s Atlantic Menhaden Management Board chose to approve quota specifications for only the 2026 season rather than a full three-year package through 2028, opting to revisit the issue next year amid continued uncertainty in the commission’s new ecosystem model.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

Coastwide Menhaden Catch Limit Cut by 20% as Potential Bay Cuts Loom

October 29, 2025 — In a marathon four-hour fishery management meeting on Tuesday, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC)’s Menhaden Management Board grappled with menhaden catch limits up and down the East Coast. Under pressure from environmentalists to cut catch limits and from menhaden fishermen to protect their livelihoods, board members for the ASMFC voted to reduce the coastwide menhaden catch by 20% in 2026, allowing fishermen to land 186,840 metric tons. The total allowable catch will be revisited in time for the 2027 and 2028 seasons. This motion passed 16-2, with only Virginia and Pennsylvania voting against it.

Inside the Chesapeake Bay, however, the rules are different. The Virginia menhaden reduction fishery, led by purse seine operator Ocean Harvesters, adheres to its own limit, known as the “Bay Cap”, which is currently set at 51,000 metric tons of fish. But environmentalists argue that a much lower Bay Cap is needed to protect the environment. They want to cut the reduction fishery’s limit by 50%. Groups like the Chesapeake Bay Foundation believe menhaden are in trouble, and since menhaden are an important forage fish, that there isn’t enough food to go around for predators like osprey and rockfish. The Virginia menhaden fishing industry disputes the claim that menhaden are in trouble, or that the Bay’s osprey and rockfish population struggles are directly related to a lack of menhaden.

The Science Center for Marine Fisheries (SCEMFIS) just funded a new project that will pull together all of the existing research on menhaden in the Bay, identify gaps in the research, and propose new study methods to fill these gaps. This would lead to solid research for setting a meaningful Bay harvest cap for that is based on data and is scientifically defensible.

Scientists from the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) Chesapeake Biological Laboratory in Solomons, Maryland, the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, and NOAA, will lead the project to develop a “research roadmap” for Bay fishery managers.

Since that future research won’t be available for some time, the ASMFC Menhaden Management Board moved to initiate a new addendum that would potentially change how the Bay Cap is used, or lower the limit. This addendum would “develop periods for the Chesapeake Bay Cap that distributes fishing effort more evenly throughout the season” and it would also develop “a range of options to reduce the Bay Cap.” These options could be anything from keeping the cap at its current level to a 50% reduction. The hope is to have a draft of the addendum ready to present at ASMFC’s next meeting this winter.

Read the full article at the Chesapeake Bay Magazine