Overview of the Issue
Menhaden, also known as bunkers or pogies, are a key food source for sportfish species like striped bass, bluefish, weakfish, king mackerel and cobia. As such, menhaden are a vital species in the marine food web and the health of their population is critical to maintaining healthy populations of many other fish species in both the Atlantic and the Gulf. Nearly every predatory fish, marine mammal and bird eats them at some point in their life cycle.
The vast majority of menhaden harvested in the Atlantic are processed by a single reduction facility in Reedville, VA, operated by Omega Protein.
As a key part of the marine ecosystem, increasing the abundance of menhaden will help ensure popular sportfish and many other species have enough food to keep them abundant and healthy.
Recent ASMFC Action on Atlantic Menhaden
At the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) October 2025 meeting, the Menhaden Management Board approved a 20% quota reduction in the Atlantic commercial menhaden fishery. However, this decision fell short of the measures recommended by their own stock assessment, which advised a 54% quota cut to bring fishing mortality down to the ecosystem target. The new 20% quota reduction has an 100% probability of Atlantic Menhaden exceeding their ecosystem mortality target.
The new quota of 186,840 metric tons is only marginally below the 2024 landings of 186,155 metric tons, meaning that despite the nominal reduction, actual harvest levels may remain effectively unchanged. This outcome undermines the Commission’s own scientific guidance showing that Atlantic menhaden biomass is now substantially lower than previous estimates and that greater reductions are necessary to restore balance within the ecosystem.
This decision contrasts sharply with previous Commission actions. In 2022, when menhaden biomass estimates were higher, the quota was promptly increased; yet in 2025, with declining stock conditions, the Board chose not to respond with equivalent urgency. Such inconsistency raises concerns that ASMFC is not fully adhering to its ecosystem-based management directive for menhaden.
WHY IT MATTERS
Forage species like menhaden are the cornerstone of coastal ecosystems and the lifeblood of the Atlantic’s sportfishing economy. Their abundance directly influences the health and availability of species that rely on them for food. Failing to take science-based, ecosystem-wide action on menhaden threatens not only the balance of the marine environment but also the long-term success of fisheries management for dependent species.
WHAT ASA is doing
ASA and many other recreational fishing and environmental organizations have been working for years to advance the way that the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) manages Atlantic menhaden. A shift away from a single-species management approach to one that better accounts for the important role that menhaden play in the ecosystem (including as a prey species for many popular sport fish) would be beneficial.
Similar effort exists in the Gulf, but the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission (GSMFC) that coordinates management for Gulf Menhaden operates differently from ASMFC in that it lacks the regulatory authority to force states to implement management, so management is essentially voluntary by the states.
Today, ASA continues to engage Keep America fishing supporters on separate menhaden issues in Virginia and the Atlantic states generating communications to key decision-makers in state legislators, fish and game organizations and regulatory agencies.
