Fisheries management meetings can be bland, they can also be contentious and – at times – they might get downright ugly. A lot of that stems from the fact that so much of the debate you may have witnessed in the past came as a result of many different subsets within the recreational fishery having very specific beliefs and often refusing to compromise. The meetings coming up over the next two weeks are not likely to see much divergence between segments of the rec community, because these meetings are all about what many feel is the most important fish in the ocean: the Atlantic menhaden.
Call them what you want, bunker, pogies or whatever other regional wrinkle you choose, bunker are an integral link in the life cycle of many of our top recreational fishing targets from striped bass to bluefish to bluefin. They are also nutritionally crucial to many shorebirds, most notably, the osprey. In recent years, we have seen a downturn in the overall numbers of adult menhaden in the Northeast which has come with increasing concern from anglers, fisheries managers and people from the birding world, as well.
It might seem simple, reduce the menhaden harvest by a number that the science says is necessary and – with any luck – the math will work out and the bunker will rebound. But there are far larger players in this game and standing between us and “fixing the bait” is the reduction industry.
If you don’t know what this is, it’s an industry that’s centered around netting millions of pounds of menhaden each year, after which the harvested fish are run through a plant, whole fish go in one side and fish oil or fish meal come out the other. And in 2026, most of what is coming out of the reduction industry is going up to Canada as feed for their salmon farms. I haven’t been able to uncover whether or not those bunker pellets are subject to any tariffs, but they are taking an American resource and using it to fuel a foreign industry. I can’t say for sure if I’d feel the same way if Cooke Seafood was instead creating salmon feed from something like rats or cockroaches, but since their industry is directly affecting mine, I’m taking an “off with their (financial) heads” stance here.
But the reduction industry employs a powerful lobby that has used its financial might along with some creative political choreography to get what it wants. Last year the science used by the ASMFC indicated that coastwide cuts to the menhaden harvest of over 50% was needed under the ecosystem modeling framework for this important forage species; but by essentially using these channels and creating an alliance with lobstermen who use bunker as bait, the reduction industry successfully lobbied that number down to 20%.
This is not a case where the ASMFC can be called out as ineffective, it’s the political power of the states that ultimately allowed that to happen. As American Sportfishing Association (ASA) Atlantic Fisheries Policy Director Mike Waine put it, “We’ve already put in the work with striped bass and now [we feel that] it’s the menhaden’s turn.” In other words, the ASMFC recognizes that a strong population of menhaden is crucial to giving the current striper stock the best chances of a successful spawn, hence making all the stricter striped bass regulations, worth it.
Like any war – and make no mistake about it, this is a war – a total victory can only follow a series of wins in smaller, crucial, battles. The ASMFC has initiated a Draft Addendum after noting a decline in the menhaden harvest in the Chesapeake Bay. This was both in the overall weight of the reported catch and the catch per unit of effort. They are proposing up to a 50% reduction in the quota for commercially harvested menhaden within the Chesapeake Bay. The goal is not to reduce the coastwide numbers of menhaden harvested, and yes, that remaining quota will likely be transferred to the ocean quota, but by cutting the Bay harvest (Bay Cap) there will be more bunker in the bay when stripers are staging and spawning in the winter and early spring. And, if this goes through, it represents a further softening of the armor of the reduction industry.
A new quota will be discussed in November and we have been told that the ASMFC will again seek a strong reduction, on par with the 52% that was shot down in 2026. For now, we can do two things; we can attend these meetings and have our voices heard and we can write our governors and urge them to stop putting money ahead of the ecosystem. You can read the ASMFC Press Release if you want to know more. There are two meetings on the schedule that New England anglers should not miss and they are listed below.
Connecticut & New York:
Wednesday, September 16 Hybrid Hearing, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
In person location:
NYSDEC Division of Marine Resources
123 Kings Park Blvd, Kings Park, NY
LINK: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/rt/7500554322031280477
Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts & Rhode Island:
VIRTUAL MEETING ONLY: September 29, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
LINK: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/rt/7500554322031280477
