November 9, 2026 — Former Maryland state Sen. Gerald Winegrad has a long history in conservation. Unlike some recreational fishing advocates, he has been a strong voice for rockfish protections, helping lead Maryland’s 1980s moratorium and later calling for stronger action on rockfish harvest.
Given that history, Winegrad should know how to find and understand the science and facts that guide fisheries management. Unfortunately, his Nov. 6 commentary misinterprets the evidence on menhaden and reaches conclusions the science does not support (“Gerald Winegrad: Conservation of rockfish, osprey and menhaden is at stake“).
Winegrad says “we are simply running out of menhaden” and blames the fishery for problems facing rockfish and ospreys. But the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s assessment determined that Atlantic menhaden are not overfished, and overfishing is not occurring.
The assessment uses an ecosystem model designed to account for menhaden’s role as food for predators, with striped bass — Maryland’s rockfish — as its focal species.
Winegrad points to catches below the fishing quota as evidence that menhaden are disappearing. But a quota is a limit, not a count of fish in the water. He should also have considered the weather fishermen faced in 2025.