July 5, 2025 — Montauk, N.Y. — A growing coalition of environmental advocates, recreational anglers, and wildlife supporters is urging the federal government to impose an immediate ban on industrial menhaden fishing in the ecologically sensitive waters stretching from Cape May, N.J., to Montauk, N.Y.
The online petition, launched by the advocacy group Menhaden Defenders, calls on U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo to enact emergency regulations halting the industrial-scale harvest of Atlantic menhaden—also known as bunker fish—in the New York-New Jersey Bight until scientific evidence can demonstrate that the practice is not causing harm to the region’s marine ecosystems.
Menhaden, small oily fish that travel in dense schools, play a disproportionately large role in the health of the Atlantic Ocean. They are a critical food source for humpback whales, dolphins, ospreys, striped bass, and other marine wildlife. Conservationists warn that removing hundreds of millions of these fish annually could unravel delicate food webs and disrupt recreational fishing and ecotourism industries worth millions.
“We’re seeing whales and game fish increasingly dependent on the New York Bight for feeding,” said a marine biologist based on Long Island. “If we strip these waters of menhaden, we risk displacing or starving out a whole range of marine life.”
The issue has gained urgency as industrial fishing vessels—largely operated by a single Virginia-based company—have begun traveling more than 250 miles from their home base in the Chesapeake Bay to net menhaden off the coasts of New Jersey and New York. These ships employ large “purse seine” nets, capable of capturing entire schools of fish at once, and process the catch into fishmeal and oil, which is used in livestock feed, pet food, and salmon farming.
Critics argue the practice amounts to extracting a vital public resource for foreign markets and low-cost products, leaving local communities to bear the environmental cost.
“Menhaden are being scooped up and turned into export products while our coastal economies—built on sportfishing, tourism, and a vibrant ocean—are left depleted,” said a recreational charter boat captain out of Point Pleasant Beach, N.J. “It’s short-term gain with long-term damage.”
The petition is also directed at New York Governor Kathy Hochul and New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, urging them to support federal emergency action and elevate the issue within regional fishery management discussions.
The New York–New Jersey Bight has seen a resurgence in marine life in recent years, with juvenile humpback whales and large schools of striped bass returning to nearshore waters. Advocates fear that without intervention, those gains could be reversed.
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC), which oversees the management of menhaden stocks along the East Coast, has implemented catch limits in recent years but allows industrial reduction fishing to continue in federal waters.
Menhaden Defenders is hoping public pressure will push regulators toward a more precautionary approach. “This isn’t just about one species,” said the group in a statement. “It’s about the future of an entire coastal ecosystem.”
As of Friday, the petition had garnered thousands of signatures from coastal residents, fishermen, birders, and ocean advocates. Organizers say they plan to deliver the signatures to federal and state officials in the coming weeks.
How to Help:
To read or sign the petition, visit https://www.menhadendefenders.org/take-action
About the Author
If Hochul has a say , She will defy anything thats Federal Government.
Will blame it on Trump
And the same thing is happening off the Virginia shores of the Chesapeake Bay but our politicians refuse to even commission a study to determine the actual affects of the commercial fishing.
You’re only repeating what you’ve heard or been told. There has been an assessment made recently by the Atlantic States Marine Commission. They declared that menhaden aren’t being over fished and are sustainable with the current regulations.
Looks like the last assessment was in 2022 with a peer review scheduled for 2025. Has that happened yet? I’m in southern NJ and there is a massive die off of osprey chicks due to no bunker (menhaden). Historically, here, 9 out of 10 fish caught by osprey was menhaden but now, they’re catching bluefish and tautog… very odd and apparently not catching enough to sustain chicks. It’s sad!