Gulf menhaden fishery has been confirmed sustainable
Published onThe Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission (GSMFC) released a new report showing that the Gulf menhaden fishery has continued to be harvested sustainably and managed effectively. At its annual meeting this past week, GSMFC approved the 2024 Gulf of Mexico Stock Assessment, which confirmed that the Gulf menhaden stock is neither overfished nor experiencing overfishing. According to sources, an updated stock assessment hasnt been completed since 2021, but the newest assessment includes new data from 2021 to 2023. In addition to the conclusion showing no overfishing, the assessment showed positive news for other key metrics of the stocks health. The spawning stock biomass, which is the combined weight of all fish capable of reproducing, has continued to rise steadily since the 1990s and remains at a sustainable level. The assessment also shared that fishing mortality rates decreased in the 1990s and 2000s and have remained at lower levels. The results ...
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La. no-fishing buffer may prevent menhaden spills
Published onAn analysis of more than a decade of fisheries data by the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership indicates that recently created near-shore, no-fishing buffers in Louisiana may be reducing the number of pogies spilled from the industrial harvest of this ecologically valuable baitfish to a mere quarter of the historical average. Read more
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Menhaden numbers stirring concerns
Published onREEDVILLE In Virginias waters, the decline of a small but critically important fish is causing growing concernamong conservation groups and fishermen alike. Menhaden, often referred to as the most important fish in the sea, are vital to the diets of predatory species like striped bass and osprey. Now, experts warn the decreasing menhaden population in the Chesapeake Bay could disrupt the ecosystem and threaten the sportfishing industry. Read more
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Virginia proclaims Commercial Waterman Safety Week
Published onAs a reminder that commercial fishing is an important part of the State of Virginias economy, Commonwealths governor Glenn Youngkin issued a proclamation recently that the week of September 15-21 is Commercial Waterman Safety Week. The proclamation notes that the Commonwealths commercial watermen and seafood industry generate over $1 billion in economic impact to the state and that there are 1,500 commercial watermen who risk their lives sustaining a tradition passed down through generations. It further states that Virginia stands as the largest seafood producer on the East Coast based on volume of landings, which includes scallops, clams, blue crabs, oysters, flounder, mackerel, menhaden and other species integral to the culinary industry . . . around the world. Watermens safety The proclamation addressed an attack on menhaden fishermen on Sept. 23, 2023, when a recreational watercraft rider circled inside a purse seine and barely maneuvered the watercraft out of the net ...
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Virginia menhaden fleet files motion to dismiss lawsuit
Published onVirginia-based Ocean Fleet Services and Ocean Harvesters filed a motion to dismiss a $2 billion lawsuit against seafood giant Cooke Inc. of New Brunswick, Canada, that claimed the firm violated U.S. foreign ownership laws with the acquisition in 2017 of Omega Protein in Reedville, Va. The lawsuit, filed on July of 2021 by plaintiffs W. Benson Chiles and Chris Manthey and unsealed in April 2024, alleges Cooke Inc., Omega Protein, Alpha Vessel Co. Holdings Inc., Ocean Fleet Services, Ocean Havesters, have been violating the American Fisheries Act (AFA) of 1998 and the 1920 Jones Act that allow only U.S. citizens to fish in U.S. waters. The suit stems from an approximately $500 million purchase of Omega Protein of Reedville in 2017 by Cooke Inc. The lawsuit alleges that part of the deal was an illegal arrangement that gave Cooke improper control of the company and the ...
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Conflict resolution for Mass. 2024 pogy season
Published onMenhaden, also informally known as pogies, have a long history in our country as a staple bait fish used for food for other commercial fisheries such as lobster. Fishing for this species dates back to the 1800s when harvesting pogies was meant for fish meal and fish oil. Purse seines, pound nets, and other gear were used to capture the species, and to this day the purse seine fishery in Massachusetts continues. The 2024 purse seine fishery opening date was moved to May 15 for Massachusetts commercial fishermen, a couple of days before the Maine commercial season opened. Pogies in nearshore waters along the coast have driven conflict due to the competing activities of catching bait for the lobster industry and bait for local fishermen and tackle shops. The states Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) acknowledges the conflict. It is working to de-escalate it, emphasizing that the harvest of ...
Read MoreCommentary: Virginia has no interest in menhaden science
Published onTurns out Virginia can be as irresponsible as Maryland in managing the Chesapeake Bay. Eight years ago marked a low point in Bay fisheries management as the MarylandDepartment of Natural Resources, in thesway of Republican Gov. Larry Hogan,fought to avoid doing a critical study tosee whether oysters were being overfished. Read more
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Virginia regulators deny call for menhaden purse seine moratorium
Published onThe Virginia Marine Resources Commissioners voted 5-3 on April 23 in Newport News, Va., to deny a petition from the Chesapeake Legal Alliance and Southern Maryland Recreational Fishing Organization that would have placed a moratorium on menhaden purse seine fishing in Virginia waters of Chesapeake Bay. Virginia is the only state on the Atlantic coast that allows large menhaden reduction fishing. Omega Protein, owned by Cooke Inc. of Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, and Ocean Harvesters, firms that process and harvest the fish, are the largest reduction menhaden fish companies operating on the East Coast. Omega and Ocean Harvester are two of the largest employers on Virginias Northern Neck and corporate offices are located in Reedville. The petition also called for VMRC to require: No less than 40% of the harvest be caught from federal ocean waters. Set a limit of no more than 60% of current purse seine ...
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Virginia governor signs ‘right to fish’ law
Published onVirginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed into law "The Right to Fish" bill, (Virginia House Bill 928) to protect commercial watermen from interference, said state Delegate Hillary Pugh Kent. Kent, who represents Virginia's Northern Neck and Caroline County in the state legislature, was primary sponsor of the measure, inspired by reports of Virginia commercial fishermen being harassed while working on the water. Kent says the new law recognizes the importance of our state's seafood industry by creating protections for commercial watermen and deterring unlawful interference. This new law will provide restitution against those who purposefully inhibit fishing and destroy the property of commercial watermen, she said. It will reinforce the continued viability of our fishing and seafood industries, which are necessary to the economic and cultural fabric of the Northern Neck and all of the Commonwealth." The bill passed 38 to 1 in the state Senate and unanimously in ...
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La. group renews call for pogy rules after vote delay
Published onLAKE CHARLES, La. (KPLC) - Louisiana is one of the only states in the U.S. that has no regulations on how many menhaden fish, or pogies, can be harvested or where they can be caught in the state. Last week the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission deferred a vote to put regulations on the pogy industry. Read more
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Virginia advances legislation against harassing fishermen
Published onVirginia state legislation to protect commercial fishermen and their boats from harassment from sport fishermen at sea was approved 8-0 by the state House Courts of Justice - Criminal Subcommittee on Feb. 2 and will move on to the next level of the House in Richmond, Va. Virginia House Bill 928, sponsored by Delegate Hillary Pugh Kent, increases penalties for harassing watermen to a Class I misdemeanor which is confinement in jail for not more than twelve months and a fine of not more than $2,500, either or both. Anyone convicted will forfeit Virginias hunting and fishing licenses for one year on first offense, and three years on a second offense. The bill was prompted by a dangerous engagement between a jet skier and an Ocean Harvesters menhaden fishing crew that occurred on September 23, 2023, which was documented in a video by a menhaden spotter pilot. The incident ...
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Virginia lawmakers delay menhaden study proposal
Published onThe Virginia state Legislature House Bill 19, which would create a comprehensive study of the ongoing ecology, fishery impacts, and economic and environmental issues with Atlantic menhaden, was carried over and killed for 2024 consideration by the House Rules Committee on Jan. 29. It must be reintroduced next year to move forward. This has environmental and sportfishing stakeholders up in arms, blaming lobbying efforts and lack of support by the bays only menhaden reduction fishery, Omega Protein. According to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, House Bill 19 would have enabled a wide-scale study of menhaden populations in the Bay that would shed light on the overall health of the fish species. Omega Protein previously backed the development of a scientific framework for a local menhaden population study, stated the CBF release. But as the 2024 legislative session progressed, the companys lobbying efforts paved the way for lawmakers to punt funding ...
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Va. lawmakers put off menhaden study; lobbying effort cited
Published onFollowing opposition by Virginias industrial menhaden fishery, the Commonwealth is facing yet another delay in letting science answer one of the Chesapeake Bays most longstanding and controversial questions. The House of Delegates Studies Subcommittee unanimously pushed consideration of House Bill 19 into next year. HB 19, introduced by Delegate R. Lee Ware, would have funded a robust study of the population of menhadenthe small, silvery fish thats a crucial part of the larger Chesapeake Bay food web and the target of Omega Protein, one of the largest fisheries on the Atlantic Coast. Read more
Read MoreCommentary: Va. menhaden harvest spurred petition
Published onRiding on a wave of momentum from an earlier legal ruling (read below) the Chesapeake Legal Alliance (CLA), and the Southern Maryland Recreational Fishing Organization (SMRFO) have just announced a detailed and powerful rulemaking petition for the consideration of the Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC) to enact. Read more
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Judge refuses to dismiss anglers' suit over menhaden
Published onA Virginia judge has refused to throw out a lawsuit brought by a Maryland anglers group challenging the states management of large-scale commercial fishing for menhaden. Read more
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Chesapeake Bay menhaden study would cost $2.6m
Published onFollowing legislation this past session that required the Virginia Institute of Marine Science to determine how long a study on the Atlantic menhaden population in the Chesapeake Bay would take and how much it would cost, the results are in: at least three years and $2.6 million, if everything were done simultaneously. Read more
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