During the 2025 legislative session, Virginia lawmakers will again consider providing funding for university research into the Commonwealth’s largest fishery: Atlantic menhaden. Delegate Paul Milde (R-64) is spearheading the effort to provide the $3 million necessary for the Virginia Institute of Marine Science to complete a three-year study of the ecology, fishery impacts, and economic importance of the menhaden population in the waters of the Commonwealth.
Atlantic menhaden are a small, schooling fish targeted by industry to be turned into fishmeal and fish oil products through a process known as “reduction” fishing. Due to their high oil content, menhaden—otherwise called bunker—serve as the base of the marine food chain in Virginia, feeding iconic predators like striped bass, bluefish, and ospreys during critical points in their life cycles, especially inside the Chesapeake Bay. Although menhaden are managed on a coastwide basis by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, there is a lack of specific data related to how many menhaden are present within the Bay itself throughout the year and what impacts reduction fishing may have on the fragile estuarine ecosystem.
“Current menhaden management relies on incomplete information. This research will provide the scientific foundation needed to make sound decisions that balance the needs of the fishery with the ecological importance of this keystone species,” said Delegate Paul Milde (R-64), who is sponsoring the effort. “Menhaden are essential to the health of the Chesapeake Bay, supporting a variety of commercial and recreational fisheries. By investing in this research, we can make informed decisions about menhaden management and protect this vital species for future generations.”
Concerns about the removal of menhaden from the Virginia portion of the Chesapeake are the primary reason ASMFC implemented a harvest cap on the state’s reduction fishery in 2006. However, this cap is based solely on historic landings and not actual scientific data on the current population of menhaden in the Bay.
“As questions continue to mount about the health of the Chesapeake Bay’s menhaden population, the need for this important effort grows every day. We appreciate all the work that the Virginia Institute of Marine Science and Virginia Marine Resources Commission have done in the development of the study,” said Chris Moore, Virginia executive director of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. “CBF is very appreciative of Delegate Milde for his leadership to ensure this effort is not further delayed.”
This relatively low-cost education funding provision would allow VIMS to expand its knowledge about Virginia's largest commercial fishery to improve sustainable fisheries management and give the Virginia Marine Resources Commission the information necessary to determine the role menhaden play in maintaining viable recreational fishing access and a healthy Chesapeake Bay ecosystem. A robust menhaden population directly supports Virginia’s $980 million recreational fishing economy, by serving as a critical food source for valuable sportfish like striped bass (or rockfish).
“Making up the gaps in science is the only way to effectively evaluate the menhaden population in the Bay,” said Chris Macaluso, director of the Center for Marine Fisheries for the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. “The reduction industry removes millions of pounds of menhaden from the Chesapeake. Numerous economically, ecologically, and culturally important fish like striped bass, cobia, and red drum depend on this forage, yet little is known about the impacts of depleting menhaden inside the Bay. Establishing a baseline of knowledge for the Bay’s fishery is vital to support both sustainable commercial and recreational fisheries.”
Recent fish spills by the menhaden reduction industry initially highlighted the need to find ways to mitigate the impact of these spills to local economies. As a result, the General Assembly passed SB 1388 during the 2023 legislative session, which required VIMS to develop plans for studying menhaden populations in the waters of the Commonwealth. In early 2024, Virginia lawmakers failed to pass a bill that would have funded this necessary research.
“For years, we've lacked the baseline knowledge we need to help establish robust and lasting protections for menhaden in the Chesapeake Bay,” said Romaric Moncrieffe, marine conservation policy manager for the National Audubon Society. “This funding bill is a step in the right direction towards achieving a lasting and healthy fishery that is able to support and protect vital bird and fish species along the entire Atlantic coast. We must do everything we can to preserve the health of the Bay."
“An investment by Virginia in science to better manage, use, and conserve public fishery resources in the Chesapeake Bay is a logical and long-awaited step towards establishing an important balance for stakeholders and the fishery resources we all share,” said David Sikorski, executive director for the Coastal Conservation Association – Maryland.
“It’s clear advancing science in the Chesapeake Bay is important to understanding the ecosystem dynamics in the primary producer area for striped bass,” said Mike Waine, Atlantic fisheries policy director for the American Sportfishing Association. “Menhaden, as a key forage species, play a vital economic role in supporting recreational fishing businesses that serve hundreds of thousands of anglers across the Chesapeake Bay watershed.”
“We need Bay-specific science to better understand the impacts of fishing on birds and other predators within Chesapeake Bay,” said Nikki Rovner, associate state director of The Nature Conservancy in Virginia. “Better science will help us make better decisions on how to manage those impacts and continue improving the health of the system.”
Learn more about the recreational fishing community’s push for better management of menhaden in the Chesapeake Bay.
Virginia Communications & Media Relations Manager, CBF
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804-258-1567
