April 20, 2016 — BILOXI, Miss. — The Mississippi Commission on Marine Resources denied Jackson County’s request to limit menhaden fishing to at least a mile off the county’s mainland.
The vote was unanimous and came after the commission listened to arguments from both sides of the issue.
On March 7, the Jackson County Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 to ask the state to limit menhaden boats to 1 mile offshore. The move would have closed 22 square miles of the Sound to commercial fishing by the company Omega Protein of Moss Point.
Both the Coastal Conservation Association and Omega Protein went before the CMR.
In the final vote, it came down to science and concern for industry.