Chesapeake Bay Fishing Group Files Petition Challenging the Virginia Marine Resources Commission Rulemaking, Allowing Overharvesting of Menhaden

Newport News, VA—Today, the Southern Maryland Recreational Fishing Organization (SMRFO), represented by Chesapeake Legal Alliance (CLA), filed a petition challenging Virginia’s Marine Resource Commission (VMRC) March 2023 decision to allow continued overharvesting of menhaden through reduction fishing. The petition calls on VMRC to meet its legal duty under Virginia law to safeguard the menhaden fishery and protect the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem.

Menhaden are one of the Bay’s most vital species, serving as a critical food source for striped bass, bluefish, weakfish, ospreys, eagles, and marine mammals like dolphins and whales. For years, the public has urged stronger protections to stop overfishing and preserve the Bay's delicate ecosystem.

Currently, Virginia controls 75% of the Atlantic states’ menhaden harvest, with 90% of that allocation granted to a single industrial reduction company. This accounts for two-thirds of the entire Atlantic coast harvest—over 158,000 metric tons each year, including 51,000 metric tons from the Bay alone, or roughly 250 million fish.

Scientific evidence shows menhaden numbers in the Bay are in decline. Their depletion has cascading effects—fewer sportfish, declines in predatory birds and marine mammals, and dramatic changes in feeding patterns. Yet Virginia continues to rely on outdated Atlantic-wide data instead of measuring seasonal menhaden populations inside the Bay itself.

SMRFO represents tens of thousands of Bay advocates and recreational fishermen, supporting an industry that generates more than $1 billion annually and sustains over 10,000 jobs.

The petition, filed by CLA on behalf of SMRFO, asks VMRC to:

1. Reduce allowable catch levels within Virginia waters and the Bay, and require reduction fishing to occur at a safe distance from shore.
2. Use the best available science, specifically Bay-focused data on menhaden populations, instead of relying on outdated offshore figures.

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Southern Maryland Recreational Fishing Organization, is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization with a mission to preserve and protect the 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.

Chesapeake Legal Alliance is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to providing free legal services, with a mission to apply the power of the law to protect and restore clean water and promote healthy, resilient ecosystems for communities across the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

Phil Zalesak, Southern Maryland Recreational Fishing Organization, Smrfo2021@gmail.com, (301) 994-2457

David Reed, Chesapeake Legal Alliance, david@chesapeakelegal.org, (410) 216-9441