Review: Atlantic Menhaden Management Board August Report

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s (ASMFC) Menhaden Management Board met on May 7 to discuss the plight of Atlantic Menhaden. As of this publication, the results have not been released, however, it may be useful to review the previous work of the Atlantic Menhaden Management Board.

At its August 2024 meeting, the Atlantic Menhaden Management Board agreed to form a work group to explore options for more precautionary management of menhaden fisheries in the Chesapeake Bay. The move aims to protect piscivorous birds and fish during critical points in their life cycles, including potential time and area closures.

While the work group’s charge suggests there may be an inadequate supply of menhaden to support the Bay’s predators, the group has not made a determination on the current status of the menhaden population. Instead, it has developed a range of management approaches for the Board to consider, leaving the decision of whether to implement them to the broader Board.

The work group’s findings, presented in a memo with an Executive Summary and a 50-page Source Document, outline several precautionary strategies, including:

Seasonal Closures:
Researchers identified May 1 to August 15 as a critical period for osprey, when the birds expend significant energy raising their young. Restricting menhaden fishing during this time could benefit not only osprey but also redfish, striped bass, and speckled trout, which are active in the Bay during these months.

Area Closures:
This approach would involve closing specific areas of the Bay to menhaden fishing to reduce impacts on predator species and the broader ecosystem. Options range from targeting specific osprey nesting study sites to potentially closing the entire Bay or its mouth.

Effort Controls:
One proposal would spread menhaden harvests more evenly throughout the year, reducing pressure during critical periods for predator species. This could include monthly harvest limits to better align with the natural cycles of predator species.

Reducing the Bay Reduction Fishery Cap:
The Chesapeake Bay Reduction Fishery Cap, first established in 2006 and reduced in 2017, limits the amount of menhaden that can be harvested by the single reduction fishing company, Omega Protein. The work group suggested that further reducing this cap could help protect the Bay’s ecosystem, although the current cap is largely based on historic landings rather than biological assessments.

The work Management Board working group helped to tee up a productive discussion at the May 7 Menhaden Meeting.