CHESAPEAKE BAY – A regional fisheries board is weighing whether to cut the amount of Atlantic menhaden that commercial vessels can harvest from the Chesapeake Bay as both concerned conservationists and fishing advocates weigh in.
Supporters of new harvesting limits say tightening the menhaden catch quotas could leave more food for striped bass and osprey and more fish for local watermen. Opponents say the evidence falls short of showing commercial fishing is responsible for declines in the Bay and warn that cuts could threaten jobs in Virginia.
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s draft plan, being discussed Nov. 10 and 11, would keep the current annual cap of 51,000 metric tons, cut it by as much as half, or tie it to a coastwide catch limit. The board could also divide the Bay cap into three seasonal periods to keep more of the catch from being concentrated in part of the fishing season…