2027 catch limit remains 50 million pounds above actual 2025 harvest, protecting Canadian-owned company while putting Atlantic fisheries, wildlife and coastal economies at continued risk
NEWPORT, RI / ACCESS Newswire / November 10, 2026 / The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) today approved modest reductions to the coastwide Atlantic menhaden catch limit, a decision the Forage Fish Campaign condemned as another failure to confront mounting scientific evidence of declining menhaden populations and the consequences for America's coastal ecosystems and fishing communities.
The Commission voted to reduce the coastwide total allowable catch by 9% in 2027, even though their own science said a cut of 40% was required to have a 50% chance of meeting their ecosystem target. The 2027 quota remains approximately 23,000 metric tons, or 50 million pounds, higher than what the industry was able to catch in 2025. Newly released catch data show the industry caught just 145,833 metric tons last year, nearly 90,000 metric tons below quota.
"Once again, the ASMFC has chosen to protect a single foreign-owned industrial operation rather than the thousands of American fishermen, small businesses and coastal communities that depend on healthy oceans," said Whit Fosburgh, executive director of the Forage Fish Campaign. "These cuts are little more than a paper reduction when the industry can still harvest more than it actually caught last year. We are watching the foundation of our marine food chain deteriorate, and the Commission is still refusing to act with the urgency this crisis demands."
Atlantic menhaden are a critical food source for striped bass, bluefish, tuna, red drum, ospreys, whales and other marine wildlife. Their removal on an industrial scale has consequences far beyond the reduction fishery, affecting recreational and commercial fishing, bait suppliers, charter businesses and coastal tourism.
Omega Protein, a subsidiary of Canadian-owned Cooke Inc., operates the only remaining menhaden reduction plant on the Atlantic Coast in Reedville, Virginia. The company processes menhaden into fishmeal and fish oil, removing enormous quantities of forage fish from an ecosystem already showing signs of distress.
The Commission's decision follows growing concerns about the accuracy of its menhaden population estimates. A 2025 stock assessment update substantially reduced earlier estimates of stock abundance, while new peer-reviewed science raises additional questions that suggest the current assessment models still overestimate the population and allowable catches for the fishery.
"The ASMFC had an opportunity to take meaningful action to protect menhaden and the species that depend on them and it failed to deliver. These modest reductions do little to address the scale of industrial reduction fishing, making a terrible situation even worse. We should be ending reduction fishing altogether before it's too late," said Jason Schratwieser, president of the International Game Fish Association (IGFA).
For fishing communities from New Jersey to New England, the consequences are increasingly difficult to ignore. Anglers and charter captains have reported declining baitfish populations and growing concerns about the future of the fisheries that support their livelihoods.
"Atlantic menhaden are a shared public resource and should be managed for the benefit of all, rather than chiefly to maximize profits for a single reduction fishery. This year, many of us fishing off New Jersey noticed a troubling lack of adult menhaden. ASMFC should take these observations seriously and safeguard the spawning stock," said Mark Taylor, president of the Jersey Coast Anglers Association.
"When the menhaden disappear, the impact reaches every part of our fishing community. Anglers lose opportunities, tackle shops lose customers and the businesses that depend on healthy fisheries pay the price," said Philip Sciortino, owner of Tackle Box Inc. "We see firsthand how important these fish are to our coastal economies. Approving a quota that still exceeds what fishermen caught last year by 50 million pounds makes absolutely no sense. The Commission needs to start listening to the people whose livelihoods depend on these waters."
Fosburgh said the Commission's failure to meaningfully reduce coastwide industrial harvest underscores the need for a fundamental change in menhaden management.
"It's simple: Omega Protein wins again, while striped bass, bluefish, tuna, ospreys, whales, fishermen and coastal economies lose," Fosburgh added. "We cannot keep managing the most important fish in the sea for the benefit of one industrial operation. Meaningful reductions in industrial harvest are the minimum first step. Ultimately, we must end industrial forage fishing in U.S. waters before the damage becomes irreversible."
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. Learn more at www.foragefishcampaign.org.
Media Contact:
Sarah Shriver Smothers
sarah@fordhamilton.com
757-876-1875
SOURCE: Forage Fish Campaign
View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:
https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/agriculture/atlantic-states-marine-fisheries-commission-ignores-mounting-scientific-evidence-refuse-1249772
