but people Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership Fishermen are fighting to help the Atlantic menhaden situation and the mid-Atlantic ecosystem. TRCP has started a new petition Attempt to establish a more balanced allocation of Atlantic menhaden catch quotas when the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) considers reallocation this November. While the potential overharvest of Atlantic menhaden, also known as bunker or pogy, has been a hot-button topic for decades, the ASMFC has recently been reducing “coastwide quotas”, including a 20% reduction in the total allowable catch (TAC) for the 2026 season. While yes, in theory, fewer bunkers being caught is better for the ecosystem, it simply doesn’t fix the issue of Virginia being allocated 75% of the TAC. Where a Canadian company harvests most of the Atlantic menhaden landed in the state.
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This is causing stress on the entire Chesapeake Bay ecosystem, where local stocks of Atlantic menhaden have been declining for years, to the point where Virginia has not even caught its full allocation each season. While other Atlantic states, such as Maine, where menhaden are still abundant, do not have enough quota allocated to supply local fishermen with the bait they need to make a living. Instead, they have to resort to bringing in menhaden from other states at a premium.
Jacqueline Lunas, bait fish program manager for the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, said, “It is time to fish for menhaden quotas. The current allocation system no longer reflects the realities of today’s fishery, leaving many states dependent on transfers and temporary programs to meet their bait needs.” “TRCP supports initiating a reallocation process to develop a fair system that better reflects the importance of menhaden to coastal communities throughout the Atlantic region.”
So help protect the Chesapeake Bay and Mid-Atlantic menhaden populations, while also ensuring other Atlantic states with bait fisheries get their fair share. attend Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership In petition for a more equitable Atlantic menhaden quota allocation for the 2027–2028 season. So that the shared public resource that is the Atlantic stock of bunker is not overtaxed by just one state and one company, but is properly managed in such a way that local fishermen in other states still have fair access when they need it, and the Mid-Atlantic ecosystem can finally get the relief it deserves from being one. “The most important fish of the sea” over harvesting
Eugene L.
Writer for All Outdoors.com and OutdoorHub.com Lifelong fisherman who will fish for anything that swims, firearms enthusiast and hunter. Instagram – mrfish49
