Finaly, finally, there is a ray of hope to save the Chesapeake Bay from the overfishing of menhaden. In the new Virginia budget which kicks off July 1, there is a $2 million appropriation to study the populations and migration of menhaden (bunker) in the Chesapeake Bay. For years, conservationists and fishermen have been calling for such a study, if not an outright ban on menhaden fishing as done by Omega Protein, based out of Canada with a processing plant In Reedville. And for years, the absolutely corrupt Virginia Marine Resources Commission has blocked even a study of the declining populations. That’s because the VMRC is a totally owned subsidiary of commercial fishing interests and if there was only one menhaden left in the entire Bay, VMRC would say, “Let’s go get it and then we’ll fish for something else.”
Sen. Richard Stuart, R-King George, which includes Reedville, vehemently opposed this amendment.
“Special interests”, he called anyone who tries to save the greatest estuary in the world. “VMRC is on the boats, taking down information,” he says, “and there is no evidence whatsoever that there’s any problem. I’ll take out my boat, and I’ll show you because every direction you look, all you see is acres and acres of bunker on the surface and there are plenty of them.”
Bullshit!
If there are so many menhaden, why are the ospreys dying out and striped bass numbers in free fall?
Because an unbiased study will clearly show that menhaden are being grossly overharvested, the State will have no choice but to drastically reduce or eliminate this fishery. To offset the loss of the supposed 300 jobs in Reedville, the State could direct new corporations to Reedville which would benefit – not hurt – all Virginians.
