Background Information

In late 2005, a proposal to limit the catch of menahden in the Chesapeake Bay surfaced at the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. It passed as a mandate to limit the catch to the averge of the last five years for the menhaden harvested from the Chesapeake Bay. During the 2005-2006 session, the Virginia legislature refused to put a bill in place to copmply with thsi mandate. Now all menhaden fishing is at risk of being shut down in Virginia. That would include the purse seine fleet and the bait fisheries. Without the bait fisheries, crab fishermen would have a hard time securing bait for their pots, so the impacts go weel beyond the directed menhaden fishery. CCA supports the cap and is avtively involved in trying to get Virginia to approve the cap by any legal means available.

HB 1795 was the bill number for CCA's 2005 menhaden bill. The bill was designed to change management of the details of menhaden fishing from the legislature to the Marine Resources Commission. The MRC manages all other fish in the Commonwealth with the blessing of the legilature. Only menhaden are exempt from the state policy. The bill was introduced by Terrie Suit as chief patron and Lee Ware as chief co-patron. Delegate Suit was a member and Delegate Ware is the Vice Chairman of the house Agriculture Chesapeake and Natural Resources committee which heard the bill. Delegate Suit was moved from the Ag committee to another committee before the vote. You can view the text of the bill by clicking the hyperlink below:

HB 1795

HB 1795 was killed in committee on January 26, 2005 by a vote of 20 to 2. Only delegates Ware and Hogan voted against killing the bill. The industry (Omega Protein) was successful in convincing the committee that the bill would have a negative impact on jobs. While that is not a factual statement, the committee believed that story and propaganda circulated by Omega's representatives alleging CCA was just trying to put Omega out of business.

CCA Virginia has long been involved in menhaden management issues. In the early and mid-1990's CCA Va challenged the industry on bycatch, pollution, beach spills, and other user conflict and conservation issues. At that time, we little realized that the biggest problem with menhaden was developing under our noses. The striped bass were recovering and the menhaden fleet was fishing closer to home all year due to closed areas in other states' waters and fuel costs. In the late 1990's, Zapata spun off Omega Protein, Inc. and then Omega purchased Ampro Fisheries, Inc. As a result of this consolidation, there was a fleet reduction and the industry claimed we would see a corresponding reduction in landings. CCA knew the lack of competition caused by fewer boats would make them more efficient, and, although the fleet has declined to 10-12 vessels permitted in Virginia from over 20, the harvest has not declined proportionally.

This developing issue of concentrated harvest in the Chesapeake Bay has caused CCA to ask the legislature to place the responsibility for management of menhaden unequivocally in the hands of the professional fishery managers at VMRC. After all, the legislature created and funded VMRC to manage Virginia's marine resources and regulate fisheries. Why shouldn't VMRC manage menhaden as they already do for all other fisheries in the state?

In January of 2004, Delegate Terrie Suit introduced a bill at CCA's request that directed VMRC to manage menhaden. The bill failed in committee without even getting to the floor where the full legislature could consider it. This year, CCA has retained professional lobbying assistance, crafted a simpler bill, and is "working" the bill with the professionals and our volunteers.

The documents listed below are downloadable files or web links you can uses to understand and communicate the issues related to menhaden and the Bay.

Time to Change -- CCA Virginia's message to legislators about menhaden.

Five Facts About Menhaden -- The basic information, all on one page.

CCA's Official Position Paper on Menhaden -- what we want and what we are doing about it.

How to Lobby your Legislator -- a primer on the dos and don'ts of lobbying for CCA volunteers and a form to report your lobbying activities to CCA.

Discover Magazine says menhaden may be the most important fish in the sea. Read their article by clicking here.

Experts are saying menhaden are in trouble: to read what they have to say, click here.

ASMFC conducted a workshop to consider the future of menhaden management in October 2004. Click here to view a PDF file of the proceedings.

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