Atlantic Menhaden • Chesapeake Bay Foundation

Found from Florida to Novia Scotia, Atlantic menhaden are a small, silvery fish that provide nutrient-dense forage for larger predator species, such as striped bass, redfish, osprey, whales, and dolphins. Most menhaden range from 3-10 inches, though they can grow to 15 inches. The species spawns in the offshore shelf waters of the Atlantic, and menhaden larvae will drift into estuaries on ocean currents. Historically, the Chesapeake Bay has been a major nursery area for the species, and the Bay ecosystem benefited from abundant schools of sub-adult and adult menhaden throughout the year. Menhaden eat microscopic, plankton-like organisms through a process called filter feeding, effectively transferring energy up the food web.

Due to their nutritional value and schooling behavior, menhaden are a favorite prey target for larger predators, such as striped bass, bluefish, redfish, bluefin tuna, osprey, pelicans, humpback whales, dolphins, and more. Quite simply, menhaden are foundational to healthy marine ecosystems and food webs because of their efficiency in transferring nutrients from the bottom of the food chain to the top. More so than other forage species, menhaden are packed with fats and nutrients, fueling predators, productive fisheries, and marine ecosystems.

Along the Atlantic coast, commercial fisheries harvest more menhaden than any other fish species by weight. There are two types of menhaden fisheries: a bait sector and the reduction fishery. The sole-remaining reduction fishery on the Atlantic, Foreign-owned Omega Protein and its fishing counterpart Ocean Harvesters, is based in Reedville, Virginia, and concentrates a tremendous level of fishing pressure in and around Virginia’s Chesapeake Bay. The Virginia reduction fishery uses spotter planes to locate schools of menhaden, then vacuums them up with a fleet of 150-foot vessels and massive purse seine nets. Omega protein targets menhaden because of the species’ high fat content, which is then extracted for industrial products. In 2024, reduction fishing caught roughly 70 percent of all menhaden along the Atlantic Coast—nearly 300 million pounds.

Despite being targeted by one of the largest commercial fisheries along the Atlantic coast, menhaden management really began in the 21^st century. Along the East Coast, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission cooperatively manages menhaden by conducting stock assessments, setting coastwide harvest limits, and considering the invaluable role that menhaden play for coastal ecosystems. Not too long ago, Virginia transferred its management authority from the legislature to the Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC), which now manages Virginia’s fishery. The Commonwealth is allocated 75 percent of the coastwide menhaden harvest, and then Virginia distributes 90 percent of its quota to the reduction fishery. In 2025, Virginia’s reduction fishery had a 345-million-pound menhaden quota. Of that, only 112 million pounds of menhaden can be caught inside the Bay due to the Chesapeake Bay Reduction Fishery Cap, which is based on historical landings, not science.

While on the coastwide level menhaden management is informed by science that considers the species’ ecosystem role, no such science exists in the Chesapeake Bay, where so much of the harvest is concentrated. The Virginia Institute of Marine Science described the state of menhaden science in the Bay as “woefully inadequate” in a recent VMRC comment letter. This lack of science is a major roadblock for improving management and the sustainability of this keystone species. To make matters worse, the massive reduction industry has consistently worked to delay sorely needed Chesapeake Bay menhaden science. Without adequate science, menhaden managers should employ a risk-averse strategy and lean on menhaden conservation in the Bay.

Because there is very limited menhaden science in Chesapeake Bay and highly concentrated industrial fishing effort, concerns have long been raised about the distinct impacts to local ecosystems. In recent years, warning signs for poor menhaden availability are intensifying, seen most clearly through osprey and small-scale menhaden fishermen. Osprey are facing a productivity crisis—chicks are dying in nests at rates worse than during the DDT crisis. Leading osprey scientists are linking these declines to poor menhaden availability. Similarly, small-scale menhaden fishermen have seen their catch rates sharply decline. According to fishery scientists, striped bass are one of the most sensitive species to menhaden abundance. The iconic striped bass population is showing signs of stress, and more menhaden in the water can help our Chesapeake Bay fisheries.

The Chesapeake Bay is rapidly changing and showing ongoing signs of ecosystem stress. Given the significant impact of climate change on the Bay’s fishery resources, in addition to intense fishing, stresses from pollution, climate change, and habitat loss could also be affecting menhaden. So even if the Bay could at one time support large-scale industrial fishing, with all of these pressures, it may not be able to support it now. Further delaying menhaden management reform and science—the two things fishery managers can actually control—only worsens the threats to all the wildlife, people, and businesses that depend on menhaden. These threats extend far beyond the interests of a singular foreign-owned company.

Virginia is home to the last remaining reduction fishery along the Atlantic coast. Foreign-owned Omega Protein and its harvesting partner, Ocean Harvesters, yield immense influence over Virginia decision-making entities. This influence has long prevented reasonable improvements to how Virginia manages the menhaden resource. In the 2025 Virginia Legislative Session, CBF supported the sorely needed Menhaden Study Plan, but the reduction industry blocked it at the last minute. Menhaden are a public resource that benefit so many facets of the Chesapeake Bay. The ability for this industrial fishery to exercise so much influence on how this resource is managed is deeply troubling and threatens long-term sustainability.

Reduction fishing is a high-intensity industrial practice that relies on spotter planes and factory-style vessels to capture vast numbers of menhaden. These fish are then processed into fish meal and fish oil for products such as aquaculture feed, pet food, and nutritional supplements. The last remaining reduction fishery on the U.S. Atlantic coast operates out of Reedville, Virginia, run by foreign-owned Omega Protein and its affiliate Ocean Harvesters. Concentrating their effort in and around the Chesapeake Bay, Omega place disproportionate harvest pressure on one of the most critical menhaden nursery grounds. This raises serious concerns about localized depletion in an estuary already under stress, undermining the health of the broader marine food web, and whether the Chesapeake Bay can still support this highly concentrated, efficient industrial fishery. Legitimate sustainability questions are mounting.

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In order to see positive improvements to menhaden here in the Chesapeake Bay, it is critical that decisionmakers, particularly in Virginia, understand the urgency. That means reaching out—through meetings, phone calls, emails—to your leaders. They need to hear from constituents like you!

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) manages menhaden throughout the Atlantic coast and oftentimes considers management changes that have direct impacts for the Chesapeake Bay. Before making changes, they will often ask for the public to weigh in.

On October 28, the ASMFC approved a 20 percent catch limit reduction for 2026. However, menhaden science and technical analysis point to at least a 54 percent reduction to maintain ecosystem objectives. While this was not CBF’s preferred outcome, the ASMFC did initiate a management action to consider Chesapeake Bay menhaden management reform. Stay tuned for updates and how to get involved!

Enacting lasting change to improve the Bay’s menhaden takes a village. Share menhaden information and engagement opportunities with friends, family, and your community to build awareness and support this critical work.