The Virginia State Capitol where lawmakers meet, off Bank Street in downtown Richmond on Feb. 10, 2025. (Photo by VCU Capital News Service)
The debate over the oily forage fish menhaden is not over in the General Assembly, as one bill advanced Thursday that would create catch quota periods for the only reduction fishery allowed in the Chesapeake Bay.
House Bill 1049 would create periods of time where the reduction fishery Ocean Harvesters, which contracts with Omega Protein, will be subject to additional caps on how much of the fish they can remove from the Bay. The bill would also require an observer on the vessels to view the harvests during 10% of their trips…