MENHADEN ACTION ALERT
Your help needed in implementing menhaden cap in Virginia
In the next 30 days, Virginia will make a decision that will dramatically impact the Chesapeake Bay and fish – like striped bass – that thrive in it. Virginia public officials will decide whether to cap the industrial harvest of menhaden. Often called the most important fish in the sea, menhaden are the prime food source for a variety of popular sport and commercial fish. Like oysters, they are also an important filter feeder for bay waters. The overall number of menhaden is near historic lows, and scientific studies show that striped bass, which rely on it as a major food source, are suffering from malnutrition, poor body condition and disease.
Your action is needed now. Please contact Virginia’s new governor, Tim Kaine ,
www.governor.virginia.gov and tell him that menhaden matter and ask him to support the cap.