November 17, 2017 — CAMBRIDGE, Md. — It’s a small fish that’s making a big splash. It’s called menhaden.
In a two day meeting, the Atlantic Marine Fisheries Committee voted to keep menhaden regulations the same for commercial fishers.
With a vote to keep the status quo of how much they’ll be fished, watermen say it’s a win.
“Any time they dont take, it’s a win. We’ll take a small win instead of a big loss any time,” said Burl Lewis from Hooper’s Island.
Lewis says he’s one of the few remaining watermen who still fish for menhaden.
Over the years, he says he’s struggled to follow federal menhaden fishing regulations. He say they’re regulations that really hurt.
“It hurts us in the long run because now our market is really cut back because some of the bigger holders ended up icith our customers,” Lewis said.