Commission Votes To Limit Menhaden Catch In Chesapeake Bay

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ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Concerned about potential overharvesting, a regional commission has voted to limit the catch of a small but ecologically important fish in the Chesapeake Bay. Wednesday's vote by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission would curtail the annual menhaden catch in the bay to 106,000 metric tons for five years beginning in 2006. The Virginia General Assembly must now enact new laws to implement the mandate.

Texas-based Omega Protein is the only significant fisher of menhaden in the Chesapeake, but it's unclear whether the cap would be effective. Company spokesman Toby Gascon said that some years it catches more than the cap amount and others less. Gascon said after the hearing Wednesday that the commission has "abandoned" the fishing industry. Virginia's representatives on the commission also opposed the cap and raised the possibility that the state could defy the new regulations.

Omega has more than 250 workers at its Reedville plant, making it the largest private employer in rural Northumberland County.

Menhaden are a small, oily bait fish that serve as a food source for other fish in the bay such has rockfish. They also help filter excess nutrients from the bay. They have been used for decades in animal feed, but recently the long-chain fatty acids found in the fish oil have found popularity as a diet supplement. Menhaden are considered plentiful in the Atlantic Ocean, but some environmentalists and sport fishermen are concerned that Omega is overfishing menhaden in the Chesapeake.

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