Dear Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commissioners,

On behalf of the recreational and commercial fishermen, fishing organizations and fishing-related businesses below, we oppose industrial scale forage fishing and strongly support the Board’s adoption of Atlantic Menhaden Draft Addendum II with a reduction in the Atlantic Menhaden Chesapeake Bay Reduction Fishery Cap of at least 50%.

Atlantic menhaden are the foundation of healthy fisheries and strong coastal economies. Forage fish are what the recreational and commercial species we fish for eat. Striped bass, bluefish, tuna, redfish, tarpon, weakfish, cod, and flounder need healthy forage fish populations. They are also critical bait for commercial and recreational fishermen, including for our iconic lobster and crab fisheries. Seabirds, whales and dolphins depend on forage fish, too.

When forage fish are abundant, Atlantic and Gulf fisheries, ecosystems, and coastal economies thrive. Recreational fishing supports millions of American jobs and pumps billions of dollars into local economies through charter and party boats, tackle shops, marinas, and travel-related spending for transportation, hotels and restaurants. When managed responsibly, forage fish help sustain commercially valuable fish populations, fishermen, good-paying jobs, robust coastal economies, and a steady supply of healthy seafood.

Harvesting forage fish at industrial scales is wasteful and the impacts ripple through the food web, directly undermining our fisheries.

Industrial forage fishing benefits a small number of foreign-controlled companies, leaving recreational and commercial fishermen, and coastal communities to deal with the economic and ecological fallout.

We urge the Board to adopt Addendum II with the options that will 1) reduce the Bay’s reduction-fishery cap by at least 50 percent (to 25,500 mt), 2) spread this quota across the fishing year (specifically a 25% / 25% / 50% split), and 3) adopt rules that deduct early-period catch overages from subsequent periods.

Reducing the Bay Cap and shifting the concentration of reduction fishing out of the summer months will help mitigate the negative impacts of reduction fishing on the Bay’s menhaden, striped bass, osprey, and other menhaden-dependent species.

The Board must recognize, however, that these Bay protections cannot come at the expense of the Board’s broader Atlantic Coast ecosystem management goals. Decreases in the Bay reduction-fishery cap could shift industrial reduction fishing effort outside of the Bay, impacting other important coastal resources.

Therefore, we also request that you follow the best available science, including the recent peer reviewed science requiring a significant reduction in the natural mortality rate estimate used in the Atlantic menhaden stock assessment, and reduce the coastwide total allowable catch to no more than 110,200 mt – the level required to provide a 60 percent probability of meeting the ecological reference point fishing mortality target (ERP F target). This will help ensure sufficient forage remains in the ecosystem to support striped bass rebuilding and other menhaden-dependent predators.

We urge the Board to follow your own ecosystem and other best available science and make the tough decisions necessary to protect Chesapeake Bay and the larger Atlantic Coast ecosystem from the wasteful and destructive impacts of industrial reduction fishing.

Thank you,

Forage Fish Campaign Supporters