Virginia Regulatory Town Hall
Agency
Marine Resources Commission
 
Board
Marine Resources Commission
 
chapter
[4 VAC 20 ‑ ]
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8/17/23  8:22 pm
Commenter: Charlie Church

Restore the bay
 

I've fished the bay my entire life (35 years old) and watched some of our most prized gamefish stocks decrease to nearly nothing, specifically the Striped Bass. As I kid, I remember a time when all the hotels were full with anglers traveling to fish the area. 

That doesn't happen anymore. A big reason is the dramatic reduction in the biomass of Menhaden.

Although banning purse seining isn't the final solution to a menhaden recovery in the bay, it is a start. It always will help protect countless fish that do end up dead as bycatch. Recreational anglers have taken their fair share of cuts as well as drastically altered how anglers approach the bay with the rise of catch and release. It's time Omega takes care of their home resource as well. 

CommentID: 219229