Saving Seafood

NORTH CAROLINA: Beaufort sculpture will honor Black fishermen vital to menhaden fishing industry

July 28, 2026 — The importance of Beaufort’s menhaden fishing industry and the significant role African-Americans played in that history will be honored with a new life-sized work of art.

“Menhaden Tales” is a bronze sculpture that will be gifted to the town by Arts in Beaufort, a local non-profit. The sculpture of a fisherman and the accompanying bench he will sit on are meant to commemorate the contributions of African Americans to Beaufort’s historic menhaden fishing industry, while providing an artistic photo opportunity for the public.

The sculpture will be accompanied by a seven minute audio clip narrated by a former local fisherman, Wardell Johnson, which can be accessed through a QR code leading to the Arts in Beaufort website, https://www.artsinbeaufortnc.org/listen. Though there will be no speaker on site to listen to the audio through, the narrative can be accessed by way of a cell phone and enjoyed at the listener’s leisure.

At their June 17 meeting, the Beaufort’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Board unanimously voted to recommend the acceptance of the sculpture and its placement in John Newton Park, in the mulched area where a picnic table currently sits

Beaufort was once nicknamed “Fishtown,” a moniker that originated during the years when the menhaden fishery dominated the local economy and the majority of the work was done by local Black residents.

Read the full article at NEWS-TIMES

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

NEW YORK: Drone Footage Shows Massive Schools of Baitfish Off New York Coast

July 21, 2026 — Massive schools of menhaden (also called baitfish) were spotted lining the shore of Southampton, New York, on July 17.

Aerial footage by drone pilot Joanna Steidle shows dense clusters of the fish swimming just off a beach on Long Island.

Steidle advised swimmers to avoid the areas where baitfish are congregating because larger predators often hunt there.

Menhaden are a keystone species and provide an essential food source for the coastal ecosystem, according to Steidle. Credit: Joanna Steidle via Storyful

Read the full article at Yahoo! News

Fisherman, Island Institute project aims to reduce financial hurdles to commercial fishing electrification

July 13, 2026 — A pilot program is underway that tests the real-world operational limits of low-voltage electric propulsion in the demanding environments of New England’s working waterfront.

The project, funded and implemented by the Island Institute, centers on the installation and multi-season field testing of a TEMO·1000 electric outboard motor on an 18-foot Rosborough skiff owned by Maine kelp farmer and fisherman Nathan Johnson.

Running through November 2026, the pilot marks a critical milestone, according to TEMO, in a news release: the first systematic commercial testing of the TEMO·1000 system in water temperatures below 45°F, as well as its performance with heavy harvest loads and active fishing operations.

“This project connects directly with local innovators who are addressing both environmental and economic challenges through sustainable aquaculture,” says Nicholas Steenberg, who heads TEMO-US operations in Portland, Maine. “Nathan’s story as a seaweed farmer highlights how these efforts support Maine’s coastal communities and ocean health. It builds authentic relationships and creates visible, relatable examples that can inspire wider adoption across the marine economy.”

As part of its inaugural U.S. community outreach program, French marine tech pioneer TEMO is supporting the year-long commercial pilot program under its new TEMO In Community banner.

Read the full article at Penobscot Bay Pilot

ASGA: Striped Bass Accountability Requires More Than Blaming Menhaden

July 13, 2026 — The American Saltwater Guides Association has published a blog post urging its membership and the broader recreational fishing community not to avoid accountability by blaming the diminished striped bass population on a lack of one forage species—Atlantic menhaden—while ignoring the central problem that anglers are “killing more fish than are being born.”

ASGA makes clear that menhaden are critically important to the Atlantic ecosystem and that the organization remains committed to responsible menhaden advocacy. But the post also warns against reducing striped bass conservation to an oversimplified message that “more menhaden = more stripers.” As ASGA explains, “while stripers and bunkers are ecologically connected, their advocacy demands nuance,” and any group claiming that menhaden campaigns alone are the reason anglers are catching large striped bass this year is “a major disservice to striped bass advocates.”

The blog post also highlights what fishermen know from experience: striped bass are opportunistic predators. Anglers on ASGA’s Guide Post Podcast described striped bass feeding on squid, sand eels, river herring, hickory shad, mackerel, crabs, glass minnows, eels, and other forage species depending on season, geography, and conditions. Capt. Ray Jarvis put it plainly: “Striped bass eat everything.” He also cautioned that blaming striped bass declines on a single factor makes people believe “there’s a simple solution to this problem… but it’s not that simple.”

ASGA’s central point is an important one: blaming menhaden, climate change, seals, sharks, or any other single factor may be politically convenient, but it does not replace the need for accountability in striped bass management. As the post says, the harder truth is that “as a collective angling body we are killing more fish than are being born.” That is the conservation challenge that cannot be avoided.

Read the post here

Former NOAA biologist publishes comprehensive history of Menhaden Fishery

December 23, 2025 — A new book, “Menhaden: A Biologist’s Thirty-Two Year Journey with the Fish and the Fishery,” by Morehead City resident Joe Smith, offers what Palmetto Publishing calls “an exhaustive look at the menhaden fisheries.” The book covers the history of both Atlantic and Gulf coast menhaden fisheries while offering an insider view of the industry and the biological knowledge of what is frequently referred to as “the most important fish in the sea.”

Smith said the book is “kind of a celebration of menhaden.”

Few are better qualified to celebrate the fish than Smith, who spent more than 30 years working with the National Marine Fisheries Service at the NOAA Beaufort Laboratory as part of the Menhaden Program launched in 1955.

Read the full article at Carteret County News-Times

Menhaden Fisheries: Federal Policy, Sustainability, and Coastal Economies

September 15, 2025 — America’s menhaden fishery is one of the great success stories of U.S. seafood production – a renewable, sustainably managed resource that supports thousands of jobs, fuels rural economies, and delivers essential products to global markets.

This longstanding industry, rooted for generations along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts, often finds itself at the center of debate – praised as a model of science-based management by some, while questioned by others concerned about its ecological footprint and role in coastal economies.

What happens in these policy debates carries real weight for the communities, small businesses, and working families whose livelihoods are tied directly to menhaden.

From Reedville, Virginia, to Moss Point, Mississippi, and from Cape May, New Jersey, to Empire and Abbeville, Louisiana, the fishery forms the backbone of local economies. The industry supports not only fishing crews but also dock workers, plant employees, welders, mechanics, truck drivers, shipbuilders, and countless vendors.

Read the full article at NOLA.com

Ocean Harvesters Responds to Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s August 7 Press Release

August 8, 2025 — The following was released by Ocean Harvesters:

A press release issued yesterday by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) continues a multi-year pattern of gross dishonesty, as it presented an incomplete and misleading narrative regarding menhaden management in the Chesapeake Bay. CBF’s misleading release includes a statement from Virginia Executive Director Chris Moore that ignores and disparages the established science, and the regulatory framework that ensures the fishery remains sustainable and responsibly managed.

In response, Ocean Harvesters has issued the following:

The CBF release refers to “growing warning signs around the Chesapeake Bay”:

“There are clear signs of peril in the Chesapeake, and menhaden are one of the connecting threads.“

This claim is not supported by any independent, peer-reviewed science, but rather represents the biased opinion of a special interest group. The assertion that “there are clear signs of peril in the Chesapeake, and menhaden are one of the connecting threads” overstates both the available scientific evidence and the known ecological dynamics of the Bay. While ecosystem concerns merit monitoring, attributing broad Chesapeake Bay challenges to already conservative menhaden harvest regulations is not supported by the best available science.

In 2024, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) presented data to the ASMFC on osprey populations which showed osprey reproduction challenges and nest failures occurring on both the Atlantic and Pacific Coast, including many areas with no menhaden fishery at all. In a letter to Congress earlier this year, USGS said it found no direct link between regulated menhaden harvests and declining osprey populations. The federal agency emphasized that multiple, complex factors, including weather, predation and prey access, contribute to ecological trends in the Bay.

 

Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey present a slide to the ASMFC showing that the recent leveling-off in Maryland and Virginia osprey populations, after years of explosive growth, is a phenomenon also being seen in states across the nation, on both the East and West Coast.

Ocean Harvesters menhaden fishermen.

 

The statement includes: “This new timing of intense fishing pressure may be contributing to the problems facing the Chesapeake Bay.”

Any adjustment in the timing of Bay fishing is minor and reflects natural shifts in the seasonal population dynamics of menhaden, not a quantifiable increase in harvest pressure or ecological harm. No scientific evidence has established any link between this timing shift and the broad ecological challenges described in the release.

While the press release references anecdotal concerns from Maryland fishers, it omits mention of well-documented water quality issues in Maryland that may also explain the localized fishery observations cited.

Another claim in the statement reads: “One foreign-owned company consistently prevents progress in Virginia, and now coastwide at the ASMFC.”

This statement is inaccurate. Omega Protein is a Virginia-based processing company, and the menhaden are harvested by Ocean Harvesters, a separate American-owned and operated company whose crews are overwhelmingly local, unionized, and multi-generational, represented by UFCW Local 400, AFL-CIO. This domestic fleet works in full compliance with harvest controls, vessel reporting, and ecosystem-based management thresholds set by the ASMFC. CBF is clearly attempting to mislead the audience with distorted information and is crossing a very serious ethical line of misinformation that merits further scrutiny.

CBF’s repeated implication that the industry has obstructed scientific research misrepresents the actual facts. Ocean Harvesters supported a comprehensive ecosystem study of the menhaden fishery developed by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) in 2021. However, the proposal that later emerged in the Virginia General Assembly used a lower cost, novel methodology that had not undergone scientific peer review. The industry raised legitimate concerns-not about research itself, but about relying on an untested approach for such a politically charged issue. CBF has repeatedly and inaccurately characterized this as blanket opposition to science. In fact, the industry continues to support the original, science-based study design developed by ASMFC, and no menhaden research could be conducted without longstanding industry cooperation.

The statement concludes: “The Chesapeake’s fisheries and predators can’t wait. Menhaden are key to a thriving Chesapeake Bay, and a healthy, productive Chesapeake is vital to the entire Atlantic coast.”

There is simply no Chesapeake Bay crisis that would threaten fisheries or predators. The menhaden fishery is already one of the most scientifically scrutinized in the United States.

The menhaden fishery is currently:

  • Not overfished, and overfishing is not occurring, as confirmed by repeated stock assessments.
  • Certified sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)
  • Governed by ecosystem reference points that account for predator-prey relationships
  • Subject to real-time reporting, seasonal harvest caps, and rigorous monitoring under ASMFC’s management plan

Here is the true threat: CBF’s statements add up to nothing more than scare tactics that threatens the livelihood of hundreds of blue collar, multi-generational employees, many of whom are minority and UFCW Local 400 union workers, in Virginia’s Northern Neck.

About Ocean Harvesters
Ocean Harvesters owns and operates a fleet of more than 30 fishing vessels in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. 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.

Omega Protein urges scientific review before menhaden fishery cuts

July 31, 2025 — Menhaden processor Omega Protein and its harvesting partner Ocean Harvesters have urged the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) to conduct further scientific reviews before considering potential reductions to the Chesapeake Bay menhaden fishery.

In a letter to the ASMFC, Omega Protein Senior Scientific Advisor Peter Himchak argued that recent concerns linking menhaden fishing to declines in osprey populations are being overstated, calling for a broader investigation into possible causes.

Himchak, a former fisheries biologist with the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife and longtime advisor to the ASMFC and the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, criticized what he called an “inordinate amount of focus on menhaden generally, and the reduction fishery in particular,” in discussions of osprey declines.

In particular, he pushed back against recommendations made by the ASMFC’s Work Group on Precautionary Management in the Chesapeake Bay, calling them “draconian” and warning that implementing restrictions without clear evidence of depleted menhaden stocks or proven impacts on osprey risks harming an industry that supports hundreds of jobs and has operated for over 150 years.

Read the full article at Aqua Feed

Proudly American: How Two Louisiana Companies Anchor U.S. Leadership in the Gulf Menhaden Fishery

July 21, 2025 — Along Louisiana’s coast, fishing is more than a job, it’s a way of life. At the heart of this tradition are two U.S.-owned and operated companies, Westbank Fishing and Ocean Harvesters, which together power one of the most sustainable fisheries in the world and help keep jobs, innovation, and investment right here in America.

Local Companies with Deep Roots

Westbank Fishing, based in Empire, LA (Plaquemines Parish), has operated in southern Louisiana for decades. It delivers its catch to the Daybrook Fisheries plant and supports hundreds of local jobs while focusing on safety, efficiency, and environmental stewardship.

Founded in 2017, Ocean Harvesters operates out of Abbeville, LA (Vermilion Parish) and provides fishing services exclusively to Omega Protein. Ocean Harvesters has invested heavily in sustainability, safety, and professional training.

Both Westbank Fishing and Ocean Harvesters operate MARAD-compliant fleets, meaning their vessels are U.S.-built, U.S.-owned, and U.S.-crewed in accordance with the U.S. Maritime Administration’s standards. This designation reflects a strong commitment to national maritime security and domestic workforce development. This compliance isn’t just a label—it ensures these vessels are available for national defense sealift if needed and keeps maritime jobs in the U.S.

Read the full article at NOLA.com