Even though our association, the Hudson River Fishing Association (HRFA.org) is located in New Jersey, our fisheries also depend on the health of the menhaden stocks which migrate north to New Jersey and beyond, including the Hudson River, which has a year-round resident population of striped bass who are dependant on menhaden for the nutrition of those Hudson River stocks, too.

We, the members of the HRFA, are opposed to the huge quantities of menhaden allocated to the commercial fishing industry for processing into other products including fish meal, fertilizer or animal feed. And once a precedent has been set in VA on acknowledging the importance of menhaden as a food fish for other species, not only in VA but all along the Atlantic Coast, other states can cite legal precedent set in your state, to protect the menhaden in areas north of VA, like NY, NY, CT, RI, MA and ME.

Thank you for allowing the concerned fishermen/women, and the HRFA, to voice their concerns about this overlooked resource (menhaden) and its importance for sportfish up and down the Atlantic coast.