New Study Links Chesapeake Osprey Chick Starvation to Menhaden Declines

RICHMOND, Va. — A new peer-reviewed study has found that declining availability of Atlantic menhaden, a critical food source for ospreys and other marine wildlife, is likely a major factor behind widespread osprey nesting failures in parts of the Chesapeake Bay.

The study, published this week in Frontiers in Marine Science, examined data from the 2024 nesting season and was conducted by researchers from the College of William & Mary’s Center for Conservation Biology, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Maryland National-Capital Park and Planning Commission, and the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center.

Researchers reported unprecedented levels of osprey chick starvation in saltier regions of the Bay, where the birds rely heavily on nutrient-rich menhaden to feed their young. In some areas, osprey reproduction rates have fallen well below levels needed to sustain local populations.

The findings add to growing concerns about the status of menhaden in the Chesapeake Bay. Virginia remains the only Atlantic Coast state that allows industrial-scale menhaden fishing in its state waters. The Bay’s lone industrial operation, operated by Omega Protein and its fishing partner Ocean Harvesters, harvests more than 100 million pounds of menhaden annually from Chesapeake Bay waters.

The study notes that significant uncertainty remains about the abundance of adult menhaden in the Bay and calls for improved assessments to better understand the species’ role in supporting the ecosystem and wildlife that depend on it.

Concerns about menhaden are not limited to osprey populations. Small-scale watermen have reported declining catches of menhaden used as bait in the region’s blue crab fishery, raising additional questions about the health of the forage fish population.

In a 2025 letter to state fishery regulators, researchers from the Virginia Institute of Marine Science urged the Virginia Marine Resources Commission to give “serious consideration” to reducing purse seine fishing in the Chesapeake Bay, stating that data needed to understand the impacts of the concentrated fishery remains “woefully inadequate.”

Virginia lawmakers are currently considering funding additional Chesapeake Bay menhaden research as part of the state budget process. Supporters say more data is needed to determine how industrial harvest levels affect the Bay ecosystem and how many menhaden are required to sustain healthy fish and wildlife populations.

Recent polling found that 80% of Virginia voters support state funding for a menhaden study.

“Ospreys continue to tell us something is wrong,” said Will Poston, forage campaign manager for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. “The science clearly demonstrates that declining menhaden numbers are driving this crisis. Virginia needs to listen.”

Poston called on state officials to suspend reduction fishing for menhaden within the Chesapeake Bay until additional research is completed, arguing that a temporary pause would help protect wildlife, fisheries, and the Bay’s long-term ecological health.

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