Menhaden Need Maryland’s Help

Maryland has a lot on the line.

Only figuratively, of course. Anyone who’s been out fishing on the Chesapeake Bay knows that a vital bait fish called menhaden, and their predators, have become harder and harder to find. But this November, Maryland has a chance to take a stand.

Menhaden, often called “the most important fish in the Bay,” are packed with oil and nutrients, making them a key food source for so much other life in the Bay. Our wildlife and watermen rely on menhaden for food and bait—both of which are struggling.

This year was the lowest year on record for osprey breeding in the Bay. Researchers are linking these poor reproduction rates to starving osprey chicks. Studies suggest there’s not enough available food, specifically menhaden, for them to eat and grow. Maryland crabbers and anglers are also raising alarm bells, saying the menhaden they rely on for bait is becoming scarce.

These red flags may have something to do with the fact that more than 100 million pounds of these small, nutrient-rich fish can be harvested in Virginia’s portion of the Bay each year, all of which goes to one single foreign-owned fishing conglomerate.

While this is often couched as a Virginia issue, industrial menhaden fishing has rippling effects on Maryland’s economy and ecosystem. The hundreds of millions of menhaden being caught by giant purse nets and spotter planes down in Virginia are not given a chance to come up into Maryland waters.

Maryland currently has an opportunity to step up as a strong leader on menhaden conservation as the coastwide Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) considers significant cuts to the Bay’s menhaden harvest quotas. This would be a critical step to keeping more menhaden in the Bay.

Maryland has historically been a strong voice for menhaden conservation. It was Maryland who initially urged the ASMFC to consider these conservation actions after seeing such alarming trends amongst our state’s osprey, striped bass, and other species.

Now Maryland, specifically Governor Moore, has a chance to continue that leadership and address these alarming trends.

The ASMFC is comprised of commissioners for each Atlantic Coast state—from Maine to Florida. When new fishing regulations are on the table, state governors play an important role in how their state commissioners decide to vote. Because of this process, Maryland has a rare opportunity to come out as a strong leader on menhaden conservation, and stand up for our states’ watermen, anglers, and wildlife.

In Maryland, support for menhaden conservation is overwhelmingly bipartisan. Groups like Choose Clean Water Coalition, Maryland League of Conservation Voters, and Chesapeake Bay Foundation, alongside more than 50 other organizations and tens of thousands of Marylanders all support further protections for menhaden throughout the Bay.

At its annual meeting this week, the ASMFC menhaden board will convene to decide menhaden’s fate. We need Maryland’s commissioners and Governor Moore to set the tone for that meeting and urge the board to make meaningful progress for menhaden.

Maryland might not get another chance like this. What happens at ASMFC will have lasting, and potentially dire, consequences for Maryland’s ecosystem and economies. Our communities, watermen’s livelihoods, and the future of the Chesapeake Bay depend on strong conservation action now.

Maryland has nothing to gain and everything to lose by allowing industrial fishing of menhaden to continue unchecked. The solution is in front of us. It’s up to Maryland to lead bold action on menhaden before it’s too late.

—Sara Ramotnik, policy manager at Choose Clean Water Coalition, Marisa Olszewski, environment & community manager at Maryland League of Conservation Voters, and Will Poston, forage campaign manager at Chesapeake Bay Foundation