Protecting menhaden means protecting the Chesapeake Bay and the lives and livelihoods of those who depend on it for food and income. Menhaden are a keystone species. This means that, by feeding on the tiniest of sea creatures, these oily, protein-rich fish help to form the base of the entire food web of the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean – creatures big and small, from blue crabs to striped bass to humpback whales, rely on these fish as a primary source of food at every stage of life. Menhaden are also integral to the water quality of the Chesapeake, being prolific filter feeders. 

In 2016, NOAA indicated that “the commercial seafood industry in Maryland and Virginia contributed $1.4 billion in sales, almost $539 million in income, and more than 30,000 jobs to the local economy.” This entire industry relies on a stable, healthy Chesapeake Bay, and the Chesapeake Bay cannot be healthy without a stable, healthy menhaden population.