Chesapeake bay fish and wildlife have suffered far to long because a Canadian fish oligarch is allowed to take 51,000 metric tons of menhaden forage from the bay...Look at  the ecologic , social and economic damage it is causing to our culture and quality of life.  I have been to many ASMFC and MRC meetings over the last seven year and rarely do I hear any mention of the millions of people affected by this and I have never heard any  mention the effect on children. I don't hear about how precious the time we have with our family and friends out enjoying the bay and each other is. The managers seem to think we all have endless years to get this right...this has been going on for at least twenty years and it just gets worse and worse. We don't have that endless time. Just ask the family struggling with cancer or the death of a child from drugs or suicide. We older folks morn the loss of fishing buddies one by one. The managers should be making certain every ton of menhaden forage headed to Chesapeake bay gets to the people's wildlife for the peoples benefit. After all, the menhaden is a resource that is supposed to belong to the people to be used to make their bay experience the best it can be and that just isn't happening. What the people are missing now us older folks remember so well. 

         The staff should be carefully explaining the ASMFC Environmental Reference Point Science adopted in 2020 to the MRC Commissioners. This is the science that should be providing the framework and rules for how they decide the issues in this Petition. The ERP science project took ten years to develop at the ASMFC. That ERP project studied the connection between striped bass and menhaden and found that striped bass are the most sensitive fish species to menhaden harvests. Meaning striped bass do well when they have plentiful menhaden and the do poorly when the harvest is too great. The MRC and the MD DNR know the striped bass spawning stock is in very poor condition and that juvenile recruitment has been at historic lows for five years. This is a threat to the survival of the species. It is completely unnecessary to survey or study this further. ERP science says this is all you need to know. The striped bass condition is the reference point the MRC should be using right now to end all reduction fishing in VA but politics has allowed this to continue. There is the tragic reproductive failure of VA ospreys this year that confirms the striped bass ERP conclusion the harvest is too great. Thousand's of chicks starved to death in the first week of life this year in tidewater Va ...according to world recognized osprey authority Brian Watts of William and Mary tidewater Virginia ospreys chicks are starving due to menhaden overharvesting in the bay. Shanna Madsen of the MRC, Dr Robert Latour of VIMS and Dr Katie Drew of ASMFC confirmed that fish eating birds such as ospreys were equally sensitive to menhaden harvests as striped bass.  They are coauthors of the science journal article " The Path to an Ecosystem Approach for Forage Fish Management: A Case Study of Atlantic Menhaden" they said at page 12;                                                                                                                    " Striped bass was the most sensitive fish predator to Atlantic Menhaden harvest in both models. In the full NWACS model, nearshore piscivorous birds ( fish eating birds such as ospreys) were also sensitive to Atlantic menhaden (harvest)"                                               The MRC has before it right now the reproductive failure in Chesapeake Bay of the ERP menhaden harvest level indicator bird and fish species  They do not need to waste more years trying to survey bay menhaden abundance because the ERP science  is telling them that whatever the level of menhaden in the bay is  it is not enough, not nearly enough. Virginia Law and the Charter of the ASMFC say they are to act on the best science available right now not continue to delay.  Justice for the people and for Maryland requires the factory fishing be moved three miles off Virginia's as every other Atlantic state has done to protect their ecology and other interest groups.   We know exactly how this would benefit Chesapeake bay from the results in NY and NJ as described in the article in Saltwater Sportsman about NJ and the mail from the editor of NYAngler . They both say that ending the factory fishing in their state has created an abundance of menhaden. Striped bass angling and charter fishing  have rebounded with bluefin tuna and whales foraging on menhaden schools along the beach. Striped bass releases of 50 fish a day are common. The same  thing in NY where striped bass, ospreys and whales are thriving. Compare this to the testimony of the eleven diverse witnesses at the MRC on August 22, 2023. Capt Mike Ostrander testified that 147 bay charter captains have quit the business due to poor fishing recently. The situation in Crisfield Md at Somers Cove State Marina is the same. Twenty years ago there were 15 striped bass charter boats taking two loads of clients fishing in Tangier sound a day and these fishermen and friends meant a lot to Crisfield business. Now only two charters are  left and downtown Crisfield is hurting. Both head boats have been sold. One went to the Fla Keys, the other to Maine for whale watching.                                                   The MRC has in their hands with this petition the ability the restore the food supply to Chesapeake Bay. If you pass the moratorium and extend it to all Virginia waters, you would be guaranteeing our bay fish and wildlife would get another 51,000 metric tons of menhaden forage a year . This would directly and quickly benefit about four to five million people in Virginia and Maryland among our saltwater anglers, food fish watermen, charter clients, crews and captains and our wildlife watchers , power boat owners. Tens of thousands of jobs. Jobs in boat sales and service, storage, insurance, fishing and wildlife watching. Spending by these affected groups contributes hundreds of millions to Virginia's hospitality , restaurant and lodging sectors. Fishing for sport and food is the most socially equalizing outdoor recreation of all despite the snide comments from the industry about "affluent " fishermen ( and women and children). Go to Walmart, get some tackle and bait, grab the kids and lunch and head to a pier or beach at a park and catch some food for dinner and have some great fun and hope for some great fishing. Of the fifteen million saltwater fishing trips taken in Maryland and Virginia in (2017) (when fishing was much better) more than eight million trips were from shore....families fishing for food and fun. This is the social equity of fishing and wildlife watching. ( NOAA Lovell Survey 2017)  Probably a million children were along on these trips.       Finally a word or two about how the declines in VA striped bass fishing has harmed Va small businesses. According to the Southwick-McGraw survey (used by the ASMFC)  (2019) Table VA-1 striped bass angler trips declined from 1,192,172 in 2009 to 436,169 in 2016 a decrease of 750,000 trips a year. Thats what happens when we don't take care of the food supply and the MRC can change that right now. The economic impact on this decline in VA striped bass fishing? There were 2,138 jobs lost. Wages declined from 95 million to 65 million , state taxes declined by eight million and the economic effects of decreased angler spending in Va went from 240 million in 2009 to 106 million in 2016 so in seven years VA small businesses lost 938 million dollars in revenue ( Tables VA-4 and VA-5) Based on what happened in NY and NJ the MRC could reverse these declines completely in a year or two just by requiring the factory fishing be in the ocean. Think of the children, the seniors, the veterans, the first responders, the teachers, the kids, the grandkids that would benefit . And remember outdoor recreation is beneficial to physical and mental health specially for children. Research show time fishing heals the spirit, reduces stress and anxiety, fosters social equity, improves patience and coping skills for children. For adults it promotes social bonds, unites families, builds cultural diversity . supports disabled individuals and seniors and develops decision making skills and  self confidence. Please contact me at foragematters@aol.com for the Saltwater Sportsman NJ article and the mail from NY or for references for the statements of opinion in this material.  I recommend you try to listen to the eleven witnesses including Dr Watts in the video of the August 22 VMRC hearing. To do so go to YouTube and speak Virginia Marine Resources Commission and select the August 22, hearing,                                     I request the MRC pass the Petition recommendations and moratorium. The reduction fishery should be moved into the US Atlantic zone now for the benefit of the people of Chesapeake Bay.