Newly released harvest figures raise red flags about menhaden populations as Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission prepares to vote on 2027 fishing limits
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Just days before fisheries managers meet to establish new Atlantic menhaden catch limits for 2027, newly released harvest data is raising serious concerns about the health of one of the East Coast's most important forage fish populations and the broader marine ecosystem.
According to figures released November 4 by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC), the total Atlantic menhaden harvest in 2025 was just 145,833 metric tons, nearly 90,000 metric tons below the allowable coastwide catch of 233,550 metric tons. The industry harvested only 62% of its permitted catch, raising questions about whether current management estimates accurately reflect menhaden abundance, and whether industrial reduction fishing should be allowed to continue.
"These numbers should be setting off alarm bells for fisheries managers," said Whit Fosburgh, executive director of the Forage Fish Campaign. "When an industrial fishing fleet with the enormous harvesting capacity of the menhaden reduction fleet catches nearly 90,000 metric tons less than it is allowed, we need to ask why. Fishermen up and down the coast have been telling us that menhaden are disappearing from waters where they were once abundant. The ASMFC can’t keep ignoring the warning signs – Atlantic menhaden may already be collapsing right in front of our eyes."
The latest figures follow years of questions surrounding the science used to manage the fishery. In 2025, the ASMFC admitted to scientific mistakes and revised its menhaden population estimates downward by nearly 40%, subsequently reducing the allowable catch for 2026 to 186,000 metric tons. However, that limit remained substantially higher than the actual 2025 harvest, raising questions about whether existing quotas provide meaningful conservation benefits. The menhaden fishery couldn’t fill their authorized quotas in 2023 and 2024 as well, leaving more than 200,000 metric tons of authorized catch on the table in the last three years for which we have data.
More recently, independent scientific research has challenged additional assumptions underlying the Commission's population models, suggesting menhaden abundance and allowable catches are still overestimated.
Meanwhile, recreational fishermen, charter captains and bait businesses have reported difficulties locating menhaden throughout the 2026 fishing season. These concerns are documented through the Forage Fish Campaign's Where's the Bait tour, which highlights the economic and ecological consequences of declining forage fish populations.
Menhaden are a critical food source for striped bass, bluefish, tuna, ospreys, whales and other marine wildlife. Their abundance supports recreational and commercial fisheries, coastal tourism and businesses throughout the Atlantic seaboard.
"The Commission needs to wake up and take a hard look at the latest evidence, acknowledge the uncertainty in its population estimates and significantly reduce industrial catch limits," Fosburgh added. "That would be an important start to dealing with today’s reality, but it is not enough. We need to end industrial forage fishing in U.S. waters before the damage to our marine ecosystems becomes irreversible."
The ASMFC is scheduled to meet November 10–11 in Newport, Rhode Island, to consider management measures, including the coastwide catch limit and Chesapeake Bay reduction fishery cap. The Forage Fish Campaign is urging commissioners to take immediate action to significantly reduce quotas to protect menhaden populations and the marine ecosystems and coastal economies that depend on them. Read the campaign’s full comments to the Atlantic Menhaden Management Board.
About the Forage Fish Campaign
The Forage Fish Campaign is a coalition of recreational and commercial fishermen, charter captains, small business owners, conservation advocates and policy leaders working to end industrial-scale forage fishing and protect America's marine ecosystems, coastal economies and fishing traditions.