(RICHMOND, VA)—Today the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) Menhaden Management Board passed a motion requiring Virginia to maintain its menhaden harvest below the Chesapeake Bay reduction fishery harvest cap. The Board has committed to further assessment of the Bay cap after work is complete on ecological reference points. Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) Senior Regional Ecosystem Scientist Chris Moore issued the following statement.
"Today's ASMFC Menhaden Management Board action maintains the Chesapeake Bay harvest cap, which is an important and widely supported component of the most recent update to the menhaden management plan.
"For years anglers and conservation organizations have recognized the importance of the Bay's menhaden population as food for iconic species like striped bass. Maintaining the Chesapeake Bay harvest cap is a critical management action that protects the forage base in Chesapeake Bay, which is so important to the coastwide population of striped bass.”
