During their annual meeting in Dewey Beach, DE the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) and its Atlantic Menhaden Management Board voted to set the 2026 total allowable catch (TAC) of menhaden at 184,840 metric tons, representing a 20% decrease from the 2023-2025 TAC of 233,550 metric tons. In a follow-up bulletin, ASMFC acknowleedged that the new TAC would result in a 100% probability of fishing mortality being above the commission’s own 2025 Ecological Reference Points(ERP) target. To have a lower probability of being at or above the ERP F target, a 50% or more reduction in the TAC would be required, however the Board expressed concerns about the socioeconomic impact of implementing such a significant cut in a single year and chose to take a more moderate cut for 2026 only.
“This change will provide the Board time to conduct outreach on the results of this new assessment and receive more input from stakeholders before considering a TAC for 2027-2029 at the 2026 Annual Meeting,” ASMFC stated in a bulletin. The Board also initiated an addendum to Amendment 3 to consider options to reduce the Chesapeake Bay Reduction Fishery Cap by up to 50% and distribute the cap more evenly throughout the fishing season. “The options will aim to alleviate a concentration of effort that may be affecting other fisheries within the Bay and other potential ecological impacts,” ASMFC stated, adding how the Board also discussed concerns regarding decreasing pound net harvests and catch per unit effort within the Bay as the timing of reduction fishing effort has changed the last few years.
Amendment 3 currently caps reduction harvest within the Bay at 51,000 metric tons per year. The Board will review the Draft Addendum in February to consider the draft for public comment or provide additional guidance to the Plan Development Team for further development.
According to the American Sportfishing Association (ASA) not only does the approved cut for Atlantic menhaden have a 100% probability of exceeding the ecosystem fishing mortality target, the new quota of 186,840 metric tons is actually higher than 2024 landings of 186,155 metric tons.
“The Board cut quota but didn’t even cut harvest,” said Mike Waine, ASA’s Atlantic Fisheries Policy Director, adding “The Striped Bass Board has continuously cut harvest in the striped bass recreational fishery to keep fishing mortality below the target to achieve striped bass rebuilding and yet when faced with the same decision on menhaden, they opted not to. It’s difficult to say that ASMFC is adhering to its own ecosystem-based fishery management directive for Atlantic menhaden with such conflicting actions.”
Waine and the ASA pointed out that the Board’s inaction also flies in the face of the ASMFC’s own science, which shows that Atlantic menhaden biomass is substantially lower than previous estimates and that stronger conservation measures are needed. “The 20% reduction does not reflect an ecosystem-based approach and contradicts the Commission’s own precedent: in 2022, when a higher biomass estimate was reported, the Atlantic menhaden quota was promptly increased,” ASA noted.
Forage species like menhaden are the cornerstone of coastal ecosystems, especially in the Chesapeake Bay, and the lifeblood of the striped bass fishery. As such, ASA said it will continue to advocate for fisheries management that recognizes these critical connections and ensures decisions are driven by science to achieve striped bass rebuilding. “True progress requires consistent, science-based actions across all species, not piecemeal measures that protect one while jeopardizing another,” Waine noted.
