The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission says that we need a 50% reduction in the East Coast Menhaden harvest in order to sustain striped bass, ospreys, bluefish and – indirectly – every creature in the Chesapeake Bay. The Chesapeake Legal Alliance and Southern Maryland Recreational Fishing Organization have petitioned for an immediate moratorium in reduction fishing for menhaden within the Chesapeake Bay and/or a reduction in all purse seine fishing to 10% of allowable landings in order to preserve the bait fishery.
Yet, the Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC) has ignored all the science, studies and petitions and has the left the limits unchanged – 112 million pounds of menhaden, all to the benefit of Omega Protein, a Canadian firm.
VMRC is totally corrupt, a puppet of commercial fishing interests and they appear unstoppable. They have squandered their legal responsibilities to manage quotas and the fishery. When will this nonsense ever stop?
