Press Release
October 27, 2026
On Thursday, October 22, 2026, CLA filed a petition in a state court on behalf of the Southern Maryland Recreational Fishing Organization, a Chesapeake Bay fishing group, challenging the Virginia Marine Resources Commission’s (VMRC) secret harvest letters to the Atlantic menhaden industry. During 2026, the VMRC quietly avoided all public scrutiny by sending private letters to the menhaden industry, and sidestepping legally-required rulemaking designed to protect the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem. The goal of the suit is to require the VMRC to adequately protect Atlantic menhaden for the broader benefit of the Commonwealth and the region.
Menhaden are the primary food source for dolphins, whales, many sport fish, including striped bass (rockfish), bluefish, and weakfish, and bird species such as osprey and eagles, throughout the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic region. For years, the public has called for more responsible limits on the amount of menhaden that can be fished to protect the Bay’s delicate ecosystem.
The Commonwealth of Virginia currently receives 75% of the Atlantic states’ allocation for fishing menhaden. With this secret action, and prior actions, the VMRC has given 90% of that allocation to a single industrial harvesting company. That company relies on large-capacity netting and hauling techniques. With the help of spotter planes to target schools, it captures enormous amounts of menhaden for cosmetics, fish meal, pet food, and omega 3 supplements.
The VMRC’s giveaway to this single reduction fishery company represents two thirds of the entire Atlantic coast’s annual menhaden harvest: over 276 million pounds of menhaden, every year. The vast majority of harvesting occurs within Virginia waters, with no limits on what may be taken from the mouth of the Bay and Virginia’s coastal waters.
The best available science shows that menhaden populations in the Bay are in decline. Recent stock assessments show the coastwide stock has been overharvested since at least 2023. As overfishing of menhaden has continued, there has been a strong and direct correlation between overfishing and declines in population of sportfish and osprey. At the same time, unreliable modeling from population surveys in the Atlantic - and not in the Bay - have been used to justify inadequate regulation.
The Southern Maryland Recreational Fishing Organization is part of a broader community—tens of thousands of people—dedicated to protecting the Bay ecosystem and its recreational fishing industry; an industry that provides 10,000 jobs and generates over a billion dollars in economic activity in the region. The Chesapeake Legal Alliance provides free legal representation to the Southern Maryland Recreational Fishing Organization and many other Bay protection organizations.
The petition was filed by the Chesapeake Legal Alliance on behalf of the fishing organization to require the VMRC to follow Virginia law and properly regulate the menhaden fishery.
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Southern Maryland Recreational Fishing Organization, is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization with a mission to preserve and protect the Virginia and Maryland fishery resources by protecting the rights of recreational fishermen, supporting research in the sustainability of fisheries, and serving the local community by supporting recreational fishing events.
