I support a precautionary moratorium in the Bay on the reduction purse seine fishery. Peer reviewed science as published on January 8, 2024 in FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE has documented “A significant relationship between reproductive rate and the menhaden index suggests that osprey population viability requires that the menhaden stock be restored to 1980s level.” Juvenile recruitment of stripped base are in decline. VMRC has ignored Virginia Code 28.2-203 for decades by not applying “Conservation and management measures based on the best scientific, economic, biological and sociological information available.” It’s time to take the politics out of the management of this Virginia resource.