November 14, 2017 — An East Coast commission on Tuesday raised the quota for commercial catches of a small but important fish called menhaden. But the delegation from Virginia, the dominant player in the fishery, cast the lone vote against the change, contending that the state won’t get enough of the increase.
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission voted 14-1 on a plan for menhaden that includes raising the coastwide quota by 8 percent, from 200,000 metric tons this year to 216,000 tons in 2018 and 2019.
The increase for Virginia will be significantly smaller, less than 1 percent, with the state getting about 1,000 of the additional 16,000 tons per year. That’s because the commission agreed to reallocate the total catch so that all states, even those without a current menhaden fishery, get at least a 0.5 percent slice. Most fall short of that level now.
“We thought it was unfair to Virginia,” said John Bull, head of the Virginia Marine Resources Commission.