Atlantic States
Marine Fisheries

Commission

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Atlantic Menhaden Draft Addendum II

Modifying the Chesapeake Bay Reduction Fishery Cap

Topics

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Overview
Hearings
Comments
Contacts
Timeline & Documents
Submit Public Comment

Overview

Topics

In October 2025, the Atlantic Menhaden Management Board (Board) initiated Draft Addendum II, which will consider reducing the Chesapeake Bay reduction fishery cap by up to 50% and creating quota periods to distribute harvest under the cap more evenly throughout the fishing season. The Draft Addendum responds to concerns about a concentration of effort that may be affecting other fisheries within the Bay and other potential ecological impacts.

The Chesapeake Bay cap was first implemented with Addenda II through IV to Amendment 1 as a precautionary measure in response to concerns of localized depletion in the Bay. Specifically, Addendum II implemented a harvest cap for 2006-2010 fishing seasons. Before its first year of implementation, Addendum III revised the cap amount to be the average landings from 2001 to 2005 (or 109,020 mt); and Addendum IV extended the provisions of Addendum III through 2013. However, in 2012, Amendment 2 reduced the cap by 20% to 87,216 mt. Finally, in 2018, Amendment 3 reduced the Chesapeake Bay cap to 51,000 mt, recognizing the importance of the Chesapeake Bay as nursery grounds for many species and bringing the cap down to reflect the average reduction landings in the Bay from 2012-2016.

Draft Addendum
Submit a Public Comment

Phase

Status

October 2025: Board initiated Draft Addendum II

Completed

February 2026: Board provides further guidance to Plan Development Team on Draft Addendum II options

Completed

February/April 2026: Plan Development Team develops Draft Addendum document for Board consideration for public comment

Completed

May 2026: Board establishes Work Group to provide further guidance to Plan Development Team

Completed

May/July 2026: Plan Development Team and Work Group continue to develop Draft Addendum document for Board consideration for public comment

Completed

2026 Summer Meeting: Board considers Draft Addendum II for Public Comment

Completed

September/October: Draft Addendum II Public Comment Period, including Public Hearings

Active

Board considers final approval of Addendum II

2026 Annual Meeting

State Implementation of Addendum I

TBD

Public Hearings

The Atlantic coastal states of Maine through Virginia have scheduled their public hearings to gather input on the draft addendum:

Public Comment

The public is encouraged to submit comments at any time during the public comment period but no later than 11:59 PM (EST) on October 9, 2026. You can access the Draft Addendum, public hearing schedule, and ways to comment on the Atlantic Menhaden Draft Addendum II Action Tracker.

We accept public comment in several forms (at public hearings, an online public comment form, an online public comment survey, and via mail or email) and all forms are equally valued. However, we strongly encourage the use of the public comment survey as it allows users to select specific preferred options in the Draft Addendum and provides space for open-ended comments at the end.

Options for Submitting Comments:

  • The public comment survey, which was developed to facilitate the gathering of input on the Draft Addendum’s specific options
  • Written comments via Atlantic Menhaden Action Tracker, the public comment form below, or comments@asmfc.org
  • Written comments submitted via snail mail to James Boyle, FMP Coordinator, at 1050 N. Highland St., Suite 200 A-N, Arlington, Virginia 22201
  • Verbal comments provided at any of the scheduled public hearings

Contacts

  • James Boyle, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, JBoyle@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740

Action Development Timeline & Documents

August 2024

In response to a request from the Board based on public concern about the effects of menhaden fishing on ospreys, US Geological Survey (USGS) staff presented a summary of the latest information regarding osprey abundance, spatial and temporal distribution, dietary demands, and timing of fledge in the Chesapeake Bay region, as well as ongoing research and information gaps. The Board established a workgroup to gain additional information and evaluate different options of precautionary management in Chesapeake Bay.

May 2025

Board reviews the Work Group report on precautionary management in Chesapeake Bay. The Work Group met nine times from September 2024 to April 2025 and developed a report based on Chesapeake Bay predator and fishery data. The Work Group addressed its task without determining if there is or is not an adequate supply of menhaden to support predatory demand in the Bay. Based on the life history of the predators examined, the nature of Chesapeake Bay menhaden fisheries, and recent changes in menhaden availability, the Work Group discussed a number of precautionary management options that the Board could consider for further action.

October 2025

Board initiates development of Draft Addendum II in response to concern regarding the impacts to Bay bait fisheries and ecosystem from the reduction fishery. The Draft Addendum will consider reducing the Chesapeake Bay reduction fishery cap by up to 50% and creating quota periods to distribute harvest under the cap more evenly throughout the fishing season.

February 2026

The Board provided further guidance to the PDT on the development of the Draft Addendum options, including direction for reducing the Bay Cap: the Board will have the ability to choose any value within the range of 0 to 50%, but for analysis and public consideration, the PDT will drafting options for status quo (0% reduction), and reductions of 10%, 20%, 30%, and 50%.

May 2026

The Board reviewed the Draft Addendum and established a Work Group of Board members to continue developing the document with the PDT.

August 2026

The Board approved Draft Addendum II for public comment and will schedule public hearings. The Draft Addendum considers options to reduce the Chesapeake Bay Reduction Fishery Cap (Bay Cap) by up to 50% and distribute the cap more evenly throughout the fishing season. The options aim to alleviate a concentration of effort that may be affecting other fisheries within the Bay and other potential ecological impacts.

The Draft Addendum also includes options that link the Bay Cap to the coastwide total allowable catch to maintain a more fixed proportion between the two, as well as options to distribute the Bay Cap into three quota periods to prevent a concentration of reduction harvest in the spring and summer of the fishing season. The Draft Addendum and public hearing schedule will be released by the end of August.

Next Steps

The Board will meet at the Commission’s Annual Meeting (November 2026) to review submitted public comment and consider final action on Draft Addendum II.