Menhaden are a keystone forage fish in the Chesapeake Bay. Both fish and birds rely on them to sustain life. The Bay's saltwater anglers, charter captains, bird watchers and numerous businesses continue their sharp decline as the breaking of the Bay's food web continues with industrial menhaden fishing.

The current allocation for the reduction fishery is based on coastwise health of menhaden and not on any stock assessment within Chespaeake Bay.  While there have been several attempts to conduct an assessment of the bay itself, to the best of my knowledge no such study has been conducted.  Given the anecdotal evidence, the industrial harvest of menhaden from the bay should be prohibited or significantly reduced until we can determine sustainable levels of harvest.

I support this petition.