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VIRGINIA: ASMFC Advances Menhaden Addendum for Public Comment Despite No Clear Definition of the Problem It Seeks to Solve

August 5, 2026 — The following was released by Ocean Harvesters:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Atlantic Menhaden Management Board today voted to release Draft Addendum II to Amendment 3 of the Atlantic Menhaden Interstate Fishery Management Plan for public comment, despite the document’s failure to establish a demonstrated biological problem necessitating the new restrictions it proposes.

The draft addendum provides several options that would reduce the existing 51,000 metric ton Chesapeake Bay Reduction Fishery Cap, automatically linking the cap to future changes in the coastwide Total Allowable Catch (TAC), and requiring Virginia to divide the Bay Cap into seasonal quota periods intended to redistribute harvest throughout the fishing season. Ocean Harvesters opposed releasing the document for public comment because it asks the public to consider specific management restrictions before establishing that an underlying biological problem exists.

A Statement of the Problem Should Include a Problem
The most obvious flaw in Draft Addendum II remains unchanged following today’s vote.

The document’s own “Statement of the Problem” begins with what “may” be happening, proceeds through what is “possible” and what “could” occur, and ultimately acknowledges that “there are currently not sufficient scientific data available” to comprehensively characterize the abundance and distribution of menhaden in the Chesapeake Bay or the influence of fishing pressure. It nevertheless proposes new restrictions intended to address a problem it never defines.

The addendum assembles observations, uncertainties and hypotheticals but never demonstrates that Chesapeake Bay menhaden availability has declined because of the reduction fishery or that the proposed measures would produce any biological benefit.

Public Comment Does Not Cure the Scientific Defect
Sending the addendum to public comment does not resolve the absence of a defined biological problem.

The public is now being asked to consider specific restrictions—including further reductions to the Bay Cap, automatic adjustments tied to the coastwide TAC and seasonal quota periods—without a scientifically established Bay harvest threshold, without evidence that the current cap has failed, and without confidence that any particular option would improve ecological conditions.

Virginia’s ASMFC Commissioner Adele McClure raised issues with the timing of the public comment at the meeting.

“Without that complete picture, without the proper Bay-specific data, I feel like we are putting the cart before the horse instead of availing ourselves to the upcoming studies and data that could finally guide us,” she said. “I believe that the public would be better served as a whole if we had the scientific study results to better inform meaningful comments from the public and input from all parties, especially those closest to the issue.”

Specifically, she called on the Commission to wait until upcoming scientific studies are complete.

“We finally got that funded in Virginia at $4.5 million. We have three studies, and this could guide us in the context of good science, which is good for both the public, for union workers, and the fisheries,” she said.

Public comment can inform policy choices, but it cannot substitute for the scientific evidence needed to establish the problem those choices are supposed to solve.

The Commission’s Own Analysis Is Inconclusive

The Menhaden Technical Committee (TC)’s review did not establish a consistent relationship between the timing of reduction fishing and Maryland pound-net catches.

For 2023, the TC’s analysis found that Maryland pound-net catch rates during the second half of the year were generally equal to or greater than the recent average, “suggesting little influence of the reduction fishery on pound net catches.” For 2024, their analysis identified a different pattern but could not establish cause and effect and acknowledged that any relationship would depend upon fish movements and fishery dynamics at a finer spatial scale than the available analysis could evaluate.

That inconclusive record does not establish that seasonal quotas are necessary or that they would produce a measurable biological benefit.

The absence of supporting evidence is not new. In 2018, then-ASMFC Chair James J. Gilmore Jr. wrote that there was “no evidence in Amendment 3” showing that lowering the Bay Cap was necessary to protect the Chesapeake Bay as a nursery area for menhaden or other species. He added that Commission leadership agreed the amendment did not provide sufficient evidence to support those claims.

The Research Needed to Answer These Questions Is Already Underway
The Commission is moving forward just as significant public and industry-supported research is beginning.

The Science Center for Marine Fisheries has funded a collaborative research roadmap involving scientists from the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science and NOAA. The project is intended to identify the data, methods, costs and timetable needed to establish a scientifically defensible and ecologically meaningful Bay Cap. It is examining how future research could measure Bay-specific menhaden abundance, fishing mortality, movement between the Chesapeake Bay and coastal waters and availability to predators.

Virginia has also committed $2 million over two years to a VIMS-led Atlantic menhaden research program. The authorized work includes menhaden abundance and movement, predator consumption, timing and location of commercial fishing effort and localized depletion questions. The state budget expressly permits the VIMS work to build upon the SCEMFIS roadmap. Recent federal appropriations have also approved $2.5 million for NOAA to conduct a new menhaden survey in the Chesapeake Bay.

These complementary research efforts were created to produce the Bay-specific scientific information the Commission acknowledges is presently lacking. Yet the Board has advanced the addendum before either effort has produced its findings.

Public Comment Should Be Informed by Science
Today’s vote begins the public comment process; it does not resolve the scientific questions at the center of the proposal.

Ocean Harvesters encourages stakeholders to carefully review the addendum and consider whether it establishes a demonstrated biological problem, whether the proposed restrictions are supported by the available scientific evidence and whether additional management measures should be adopted before the ongoing research has been completed.

The company will participate fully in the public comment process and will continue to advocate for management decisions grounded in sound science, transparency and a clearly demonstrated biological need.

About Ocean Harvesters
Ocean Harvesters owns and operates a fleet of more than 30 fishing vessels in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of America. The company’s purse-seine fishing operation is exclusively engaged in the harvest of menhaden, a small, nutrient-dense fish used to produce fish meal, fish oil, and fish solubles. Both its Atlantic and Gulf Menhaden fisheries are certified sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council. Committed to responsible fishing operations, Ocean Harvesters is proud to be heir to a fishing legacy that extends nearly 150 years.

Ocean Harvesters pushes back on osprey study

July 22, 2026 — Ocean Harvesters has released a detailed response to a July 6 commentary by osprey researcher Dr. Bryan Watts, arguing that his recent scientific work does not establish a causal link between declining Chesapeake Bay osprey reproduction and Virginia’s commercial menhaden fishery.

The response follows an ongoing debate sparked by the publication of Widespread Reproductive Deficits in Chesapeake Bay Ospreys in Frontiers in Marine Science. As National Fisherman previously reported, the study suggested reduced availability of Atlantic menhaden may be contributing to poor osprey nesting success in parts of the Chesapeake Bay, while Ocean Harvesters maintained the research did not prove commercial fishing caused the problem.

In its latest statement, Ocean Harvesters said Watts’ own public comments reinforce that position.

“We wholeheartedly agree, as Dr. Watts said in his response, that repeating misinformation should not happen,” the company wrote. “But repeating misinformation is precisely what Dr. Watts and others have done.”

According to Ocean Harvesters, Watts acknowledged that his paper “does not link poor osprey reproduction to menhaden harvest,” while the company argues advocacy groups have nevertheless cited the research as justification for restricting the Chesapeake Bay reduction fishery.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

US lawmakers advance bill reauthorizing NOAA’s Chesapeake Bay Office

July 17, 2026 — U.S. representatives on the House Committee on Natural Resources voted to advance a bill reauthorizing NOAA’s Chesapeake Bay Office on 15 July.

“The House just took a key step toward investment in the science, restoration, and education that’s essential to the Chesapeake Bay’s recovery,” Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) Senior Policy Director Keisha Sedlacek said in a statement. “We’re grateful to House leaders for advancing the WATERS Act and look forward to action in the Senate on the companion bill.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

W&M’s VIMS & Batten School partner with NOAA to expand access to shallow water mapping data in the Chesapeake Bay

July 15, 2026 — A new partnership between William & Mary’s VIMS & Batten School and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) turns routine vessel operations and lost crab trap removal into a new source of valuable bathymetric data.

Bathymetry describes the depth and shape of the seafloor relative to a known elevation reference and is essential to understanding and managing coastal environments. Accurate bathymetric data are foundational to a wide range of scientific, planning and management applications, including coastal resilience, hurricane and storm surge forecasting, sediment transport, habitat mapping, fisheries management and navigation safety. Bathymetry data is a valuable tool, particularly in shallow, nearshore areas that are difficult and expensive to map using traditional methods.

The collaboration was formalized through the recognition of VIMS & the Batten School as a “Trusted Node,” a designation by NOAA and the International Hydrographic Organization acknowledging reliable partners for collecting, processing and submitting bathymetric data for public use. Only 16 other organizations worldwide have been awarded this status.

Read the full article at EurekAlert!

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

VIRGINIA: The last three members of the Northern Neck menhaden boat chantey singers perform again

June 30, 2026 — Thirty-five years ago, the Reedville Fishermen’s Museum asked a local group of retired menhaden fishermen to perform some of their work songs, known as chanteys, for a Fourth of July celebration. They became the Northern Neck Chantey Singers and spent decades touring the country.

Last Friday, three remaining members, now in their 80’s, performed one last time for a dedication ceremony of a road marker honoring their legacy.

More than a century ago, before the hydraulic lift, Black fishermen strained to bring up fish-laden nets on menhaden boats out in the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic.

Read the full article at WMRA

VIRGINIA: Lawmakers approve funding of menhaden study

June 30, 2026 — The Virginia General Assembly in Richmond, Va., officially passed on June 29 fourteen budget amendments to the states $205 billion biennial budget including $2 million for a comprehensive study on Atlantic Menhaden in the Chesapeake Bay.

The Assembly had presented a proposed budget to Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger on June 22 that did not include funds for the study. This prompted political finger pointing from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) at Omega Protein Inc. and Ocean Harvesters, the Reedville, Va., firms involved in the only large reduction menhaden fishery on Atlantic Coast.

CBF accused the Reedville firms of using “political pressure” to persuade legislators not to approve research funding in the state budget. Promptly, Omega Protein and Ocean Harvesters issued a news release adamantly denying the use of “political pressure” to discourage funding of menhaden research.

The release stated “Ocean Harvesters and Omega Protein flatly deny playing any role in the Virginia General Assembly’s decision not to include funding to study the Chesapeake Bay’s Atlantic menhaden population in the two-year state budget. These false claims were made by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, an organization that has misled Virginians as part of a special interest campaign against the industry for more than two decades.”

Read the full article at National Fisherman

Column: New paper’s menhaden claims not backed by evidence

June 29, 2026 — A new paper by Bryan Watts, Ph.D., and coauthors reports poor osprey reproduction in high-salinity areas of the Chesapeake Bay and argues that reduced availability of Atlantic menhaden may be a primary driver. The paper will almost certainly be used to argue for harsh restrictions on this well-regulated fishery, but its conclusion is stronger than its evidence. The study documents an osprey problem but it fails to conclusively link those concerns to Virginia’s commercial menhaden fishery.

The conclusion rests on a chain of assumptions: poor reproduction indicates food stress; food stress indicates reduced menhaden availability; reduced local availability indicates broader scarcity; and any scarcity is linked to commercial fishing.

Each step in that chain requires evidence. The evidence is not there.

Timing is one problem. Ospreys return to the bay and begin nesting before the menhaden purse seine fishery is active. Egg laying and early chick mortality occur before fishing activity. In 2024, when the data used in this paper was collected, menhaden arrived exceptionally late. Early-season fishing did not happen. If prey was unavailable before the fishery was operating, that points to migration timing or environmental conditions, not fishery removals.

Read the full article at The Virginian-Pilot 

Virginia proposes $2 million in funding for menhaden study

June 29, 2026 — On the heels of the Virginia General Assembly approving a $205 billion biennial budget on June 22 without including funding for the menhaden study, Governor Abigail Spanberger proposed adding amendments that include $2 million for the menhaden study.

Spanberger’s amendment states “out of this appropriation, $1 million will go towards the (menhaden) study the first year and $1 million the second year from the general fund and is designated for Atlantic menhaden research and reporting.

“This funding shall be used for Atlantic menhaden research necessary to inform a scientifically defensible and ecologically meaningful Chesapeake Bay harvest cap,” the amendment states.

“This report will be generated by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) in collaboration with the Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC), and with the cooperation of relevant stakeholders, including recreational anglers, the reduction and bait fishery sectors, and non-governmental organizations. VIMS will create an annual proposal to draw from this funding until delivery of the final report that provides an approach to setting a scientifically defensible Chesapeake Bay harvest cap.

“The development of this approach may be informed by research on (i) the seasonal abundance of Atlantic menhaden in the Chesapeake Bay; (ii) the movement rates of Atlantic menhaden between the Atlantic coast and the Chesapeake Bay; (iii) the impacts of predator (e.g. striped bass, osprey, and other species) demand and consumption of Atlantic menhaden on the Atlantic menhaden population; (iv) the spatial and temporal patterns of the Atlantic menhaden commercial fishing effort in the Chesapeake Bay; (v) and the possibility of localized depletion of Atlantic menhaden in the Chesapeake Bay.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman