Something Fishy in the Bay: The Fight to Protect Menhaden

Atlantic menhaden are a keystone species of the Chesapeake Bay, feeding dolphins, whales, many sport fish, including striped bass (rockfish), and bird species such as osprey and eagles that make the Bay what it is. Without menhaden, the ecosystem unravels, and the warning signs are already here: striped bass populations are suffering, and osprey fledglings are dying at rates not seen since the DDT era. Yet a single reduction fishing company continues to pull hundreds of millions of pounds of menhaden from the Bay and Mid-Atlantic every year. In 2026, the Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC) skipped legally required rulemaking and instead issued private harvest letters to the industry, placing no limits on days, shoreline, or catch, and no opportunity for public scrutiny.

David Reed, CLA Executive Director, will present on CLA’s newly filed state court petition on behalf of the Southern Maryland Recreational Fishing Organization challenging VMRC’s secret harvest letters. The presentation will explore what’s at stake for the Bay’s food web, how VMRC sidestepped the public process meant to protect this shared resource, and what the case could mean for restoring accountability in how menhaden are managed across the Chesapeake region.

Click HERE to Register!