To whom it may concern,

I have been fishing the Chesapeake bay for many years and watched the steady decline of of various species in these waters.   Now the striped bass is in trouble.  Lack of menhaden has been identified as a contributing factor towards these declines.  We should not allow Omega Protein to strip the bay of the primary baitfish (menhaden) which sustains these fisheries.  Omega Protein utilizes ships, tender boats, spotter planes and nets to catch menhaden in the VA waters of the Chesapeake Bay.  These methods are too efficient to use within the confines of an estuary.   Additionally, Omega Protein is a Canadian based company that is destroying the most productive estuary in the US.  I highly doubt the Canadian government would allow a US based company to have a negative impact one of their prized fisheries such as the Atlantic Salmon.  Lastly, Omega Protein has had an adverse impact on water quality of the Chesapeake Bay since menhaden are filter feeders. Poor water quality has also been identified as a contributing factor towards the decline of the bay.