With new state dollars granted by the Virginia General Assembly by way of a budget amendment from Gov. Abigail Spanberger, scientists and lawmakers plan to examine the menhaden population inside the Chesapeake Bay, the culmination of years of legislative efforts.
The data will be essential to determine whether updated conservation standards and catch limits for the small forage fish should be established. Menhaden sustains several species and fuels the only industrial reduction fishing operation in the Bay.
With $2 million allotted over the biennium, researchers at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science and the Virginia Marine Resources Commission will conduct a study on the menhaden population within the Bay to help regulators manage a “scientifically defensible and ecologically meaningful” cap of how much fisheries can catch, according to the budget language…