ASMFC Seeks Public Input on Atlantic Menhaden Fishing Rules

School of menhaden. Photo by Jerry Prezioso, NOAA.

Photo courtesy, Virginia Institute of Marine Science.

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) has scheduled virtual hearings to gather public input on Draft Addendum II to Amendment 3 of the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Menhaden. This holds significant implications for New England commercial bait fishermen, charter captains, and coastal anglers across Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine. Atlantic menhaden, locally known as pogies or bunker, serve as a foundational forage species for major regional gamefish including striped bass, bluefish, and fluke, making their abundance and coastwide management priorities for New England’s maritime community.

The public hearings will focus on options to reduce the industrial Chesapeake Bay Reduction Fishery Cap by up to 50 percent from its current 51,000-metric-ton annual limit. While the reductions specifically target large-scale industrial reduction firms operating further south, New England stakeholders have a substantial interest in the outcome. Local conservation and recreational fishing groups argue that heavy localized fishing pressure in the Mid-Atlantic region alters migratory patterns and reduces the overall availability of mature baitfish heading north into New England waters. Re-evaluating the coastwide quota structure could redistribute fishing pressure, affecting regional allocations and bait-dependent businesses along the northeast coast.

The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation participated in a joint hybrid hearing on September 16, 2026. Going forward, a virtual joint regional hearing for marine and wildlife agencies in Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island is slated for Tuesday, September 29, 2026, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. If you cannot attend this session, consider joining the virtual meeting for Delaware and New Jersey on September 22, or the general virtual hearing scheduled for October 1. Register for any of these hearings here. To access the draft addendum or submit comments, use the ASMFC Atlantic Menhaden Draft Addendum II Action Tracker.

The ASMFC is tasked with coordinating the conservation and management of 27 shared coastal fish and shellfish species across 15 Atlantic coastal states from Maine through Florida. As a partnership of coastal states, it works to protect essential marine species with the goal of ensuring vibrant fisheries, thriving communities, and resilient ecosystems through science-driven, cooperative management.

Written by Tom Schlichter