May 5, 2015 — East Coast regulators moved Tuesday to boost the allowable catch of Atlantic menhaden by 10 percent, after scientists concluded the little oily fish on which so many other fish depend aren’t as scarce as previously thought.
The decision by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission represents a compromise that disappointed both commercial fishermen, who wanted to recoup catch reductions imposed two years ago, and conservationists, who remain worried there still aren’t enough menhaden in the Chesapeake Bay to sustain Maryland’s state fish, striped bass, locally known as rockfish.
The most heavily harvested fish on the East Coast, menhaden are caught mostly for processing into animal feed and health supplements. Roughly four fifths of all the menhaden are netted by a fishing fleet owned by Omega Protein, operating out of Reedville, Va. Menhaden also are widely sought as bait for catching other fish, notably blue crabs and lobsters.
Read the full story at the Baltimore Sun