Officials advance potential new restrictions on controversial fishing practice: 'We understand that things are changing'

After increasing pressure from a number of groups, a key fishing board may soon implement new commercial fishing restrictions along the Atlantic coast. 

As Maryland Matters reported, the Atlantic States Marine Commission's menhaden management board has voted to explore options for increasing maximum limits for menhaden hauls. 

The move would aim to protect and better manage fish populations in the Chesapeake Bay, specifically the menhaden. 

The Atlantic menhaden have long been sought after for their value as fish meal and bait. For companies like Omega Protein, which contracts Ocean Harvesters, the small fish are a vital source of omega-3 fatty acids used in health supplements. 

However, the company is currently capped at 51 metric tons of menhaden, a figure that some argue is still too high. 

Lynn Fegley of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources introduced the motion to tighten restrictions after claiming that menhaden are not reaching Maryland's waters. 

Instead, Fegley explained that Omega Protein's Virginia-based fishery is greatly diminishing the menhaden population.  

"We understand that this is a coastwide issue," Fegley said, per Maryland Matters. "We understand that things are changing … there is significant effort by a large-scale fishery in the Chesapeake Bay. The fish were there, but they were not where we are."

Other conservation groups and recreational anglers also raised their concerns about localized depletion within the Chesapeake Bay and its effects on other species. 

Chris Moore, Chesapeake Bay Foundation Virginia Executive Director, noted that the overfishing of menhaden could do untold damage to the regional ecosystem. 

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"The Chesapeake's fisheries and predators can't wait," Moore told the publication. "Menhaden are key to a thriving Chesapeake Bay, and a healthy, productive Chesapeake is vital to the entire Atlantic coast." 

Despite the blowback, Ocean Harvest remained adamant that any negative impacts in the bay were not a result of its operations. 

The company issued a statement noting that the Chesapeake Bay Foundation "omits mention of well-documented water quality issues in Maryland that may also explain the localized fishery observations cited." 

For now, the menhaden management board will continue to hear arguments from both sides as it weighs its options.

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