Ocean Harvesters, the largest participant in Virginia’s menhaden fishery and a long-term supplier to Cooke subsidiary Omega Protein, recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with government of Virginia agreeing to put limits on menhaden fishing in the Chesapeake Bay.
The new agreement will restrict areas in the Bay to fishing, restrict fishing on weekends during busy recreational fishing seasons, and limit fishing an areas with high recreational boating traffic. The new MoU, the company said, will help limit conflicts between the fishery and other users of the bay.
“The new memorandum of understanding successfully addresses concerns that have been raised about how the menhaden fishery can best coexist with other user groups in the Bay,” Ocean Harvesters CEO Monty Deihl said. “This MOU further illustrates that the menhaden fishery will work with the Bay community to alleviate concerns and to remain operating responsibly and sustainably here in Virginia.”
According to the release, the MoU outlines areas where the fishery can only harvest more than one mile from the shore, restricts commercial harvests between the Memorial Day and Labor Day holidays (in May and September, respectively) so that Ocean Harvesters cannot harvest on weekends, nor on the days surrounding 4 July – “the most popular time for summer tourism and recreational fishing.”
The MoU also restricts the fishery from operating within a half mile of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel year-round.
“This will help the fishery avoid recreational boat traffic and any other potential issues and conflicts that might arise near the Bridge,” the release states.
Menhaden fishing in the Chesapeake Bay was the source of a multi-year quota conflict between the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC), Omega Protein, and the U.S. State of Virginia.
The conflict was initiated in November 2017, when the ASMFC made changes to the menhaden quota up and down the U.S. East Coast. Part of that change reduced the quota in the Chesapeake Bay from 87,216 metric tons (MT) to 51,000 MT. Omega Protein, by far the largest harvester of the species in the U.S., objected to that change, and the Virginia State House decided in March 2018 to not ratify changes at the state level.
That kicked off a fight between Virginia and the ASMFC. The commission put the state on notice regarding the cap in May 2018, but action wouldn’t be taken until 2019 when Omega Protein signaled it was going to exceed the Chesapeake Bay quota cap in September 2019. Soon after the ASMFC voted to rule the state out of compliance for its menhaden fishery in October 2019, before the Department of Commerce imposed a moratorium on the entire Virginia menhaden fishery in December 2019.
The conflict eased after the Virginia Marine Resource Commission (VMRC) agreed to abide by the 51,000 MT cap – a decision supported by Omega Protein.
The disputes over menhaden didn’t end there, however. In 2021 the VMRC publicly cautioned Omega Protein about its quota and criticized it for fish spills caused by net tears. The fishery then garnered more media attention in 2022 with a fish spill incident. Following the criticism a representative in Virginia, Tim Anderson, introduced a bill to completely shut down the fishery in the Chesapeake Bay – a bill that died in committee.
Omega Protein and Ocean Harvesters have long asserted that the science on menhaden stocks is accurate, and the company is not overfishing the species. In its release on the MoU, it reiterated the VMRC officials are happy with the state of the menhaden stock.
Photo courtesy of Ocean Harvesters
