Please stop the improper use of Purse-Seine nets in the Chesapeake Bay. The Bay is already a fraction of what it used to look like whether it be the oysters, striped bass, aquatic vegetation, water quality. The list goes on and on. The Bay has been suffering for years due to Menhaden fishing practices. The public doesn't want it period. Ending large scale Menhaden fishing in the Bay would regenerate the entire ecosystem. To add insult to injury, the netting practices are not done properly, further depleting the Bay by not only killing Menhaden, but numerous other fish species and vegetation. I was in the Bay near Cape Charles in July after one of the fish kill events due to Purse-Seine net spill with massive Red Drum showing up dead. Some of the fish were decades old and massive in size just rotting away. There are not many sites in the world that compare to the Chesapeake Bay. It is unique. But none of us alive today even realize what this place used to look like, and what it could be if we protected it more. 

1. These purse seine nets are not being used as they are intended.
2. Water depths less the 60’ do not allow for non-targeted marine life to escape.
3. The use of these nets in water depths less than 60’ can cause damage to essential fish habitat.
4. Depth restrictions will help avoid nets spills, net tears, and waste of the resource – which is beneficial for all stakeholders.