Virginia Regulatory Town Hall
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Marine Resources Commission
 
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Marine Resources Commission
 
chapter
[4 VAC 20 ‑ ]
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8/17/23  11:39 pm
Commenter: Robert Hiro

Stop Omega from harvesting menhaden
 

As someone who charter fished the lower Chesapeake for only two summers I saw first hand the damage that the omega boats have done and continue to do. In my short time I witnessed just about every species caught in these nets. When they are able to release by catch there in no regard for the well being of the fish (gaffing them out of the nets, ect.). Not only by catch suffer but I have had many days of seeing miles of dead menhaden after a net brake or mishandling. It’s a dangerous combination between the growing number of  putting more and more pressure on fisheries while removing one of the biggest foundations to the delicate food pyramid that is the chesapeake bay. I can only speak to my limited personal experience but what I saw offered no chance for the biomass of any species to thrive or improve to anywhere near historic numbers. 

CommentID: 219258