Removing an entire forage fish species from the Chesapeake Bay is devastating to the bay. I have been a regular on the bay since 2007. I have watched the loss of fish, birds, and wildlife. I’ve watched 8 ships and 6 spotter planes everyday in the bay using purse seine nets that are way too deep for the bay encircling fish sometimes in water about 19 feet of water. It’s been so heartbreaking watching the destruction of wildlife, their food source, and the huge nursery for menhaden that the bay provides.
Why does Virginia have 70 to 80 percent of the menhaden quota for the entire east coast? Why are they in our bay while all other east coast states make them stay 3 miles out in the ocean? Virginia’s citizens are being robbed of one of their greatest resources, the Chesapeake Bay. Virginia is being neglectful of managing and protecting the ecosystem of the bay.
Get the commercial menhaden fishery out of the Chesapeake Bay!