Atlantic menhaden reduction fishery at center of Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission public hearing

A virtual public hearing on Tuesday, Sept. 22 will consider potential changes to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s (ASMFC) Atlantic menhaden management plan, jointly hosted by the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. The session runs from 6 to 8 p.m. and will focus on a draft addendum to an amendment of the plan. One proposal would reduce the Chesapeake Bay menhaden reduction fishery cap by up to 50% and distribute the cap more evenly throughout the commercial season. The current Chesapeake Bay cap is set at 51,000 metric tons. Officials say the goal is to ease concentration of commercial effort that may affect other fisheries in the bay and other potential ecological impacts.