I have been fishing the Chesapeake Bay since 1986.  The last 15 years a charter captain and commercial hook and line fisherman.  I’m on the water 5-6 days a week from May-September and 2-3 days a week the rest of the time.  I also serve on several boards, one of which is the MMAC and I’m chair of the ASMFC multi species AP.

Over the past 12 years the fishing in the Chesapeake Bay has declined significantly.  Doesn’t matter the species, the fishing is dismal.  From spot and croaker to flounder and cobia every category is way down.  All one has to do is look at the VMRC citation data over the last 15 years and one can see the decline of a once great fishery. 

Why look at citation data?  It is an indicator of a fish population in trouble. When the larger fish start declining the population is declining.  All the species are in decline.  And one of the major factors is lack of menhaden(bait).   

The menhaden that were in the bay this summer were some of the poorest in history.  There was a the Bunker Fleet out of Deltaville didn’t fish in the bay but a select number of days this past summer, and that’s because the numbers and size of Menhaden were not what they wanted.

It is time for a moratorium, purse seine ban, or quota ban on menhaden in state waters.  A moratorium would be ideal, but if not a moratorium, then ban the use of purse seines in Va waters.  If that is not doable then make a quota decision.  Something like if you have over 10tons of menhaden quota you cannot fish in VA state waters.

Any of those options would be sufficient to allow the overfished menhaden population to increase.  With an increase in the menhaden population all fish species and some bird species will flourish once again.  

Please don’t sit back and do nothing. Pick one the options mentioned above or do something else, but please do something about our diminished fishing conditions.

Sincerely,

Capt. Craig Freeman