In what fisheries experts are calling an historic measure to
curb overfishing, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries
Commission voted late last week to reduce the fishing of
menhaden by 20 per cent in the coming year. The 20 per cent
reduction takes effect July 1, 2013. Menhaden, a primary food
source for many other Atlantic fish including striped bass,
bluefish, cod and swordfish, have come under close scrutiny in
recent years as their numbers have declined sharply. The fish is
principally harvested and landed in Virginia, but is taken by
fishing boats up and down the Atlantic seaboard. The commission
decision to cut the landing to 170,800 metric tons is 20 per
cent less than what has been landed on average in the last three
years. More than 350 people crowded into a hotel room in
Baltimore on Dec. 14, many carrying placards and signs, to watch
the commission debate and deliberate the cuts. Conservation
groups and recreational fishermen favor protection of menhaden.
A smaller number who attended opposed the c