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The Virginia Marine Resources Commission voted Tuesday to restrict menhaden fishing in the Chesapeake Bay.
In a 5-4 vote, the commission voted in favor of a memorandum of understanding with Reedville-based Omega Protein fishery for it to stop harvesting within a half-mile around the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. Omega, which uses menhaden for products such as fish oil pills and pet food, also can’t fish in the bay around Memorial and Labor Day weekends and Saturdays and Sundays between and around July 4. The agreement includes the fishery, governor’s office and General Assembly working on a new buffer along the bay’s eastern shores and Virginia Beach.
The proposal originally called for enforcing a 1-mile buffer along bay shores and Virginia Beach.
The memorandum, however, isn’t enforceable by law.
“This is a big disappointment and it is difficult to understand how this is different from doing nothing,” said Mike Leonard, American Sportfishing Association vice president of government affairs.
Organizations including the sportfishing association are concerned that Omega won’t abide by the agreement if there are no consequences.
Ben Laundry, a spokesperson for Omega, said, “You don’t get to stay in business as long as we have by breaking agreements.”
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Omega has entered into agreements with charter boat captains along Virginia Beach where the Omega boats will not fish in specific areas during peak tourism season between Memorial day and Labor day, according to Laundry.
The restrictions are in response to fishing net spills by Omega, the only menhaden reduction fishery on the Atlantic coast. Two in July killed thousands of fish, washing them onto local shores.
Several environmental groups, including the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership and the Virginia Saltwater Sportfishing Association, submitted a petition with about 11,000 signatures to Gov. Glenn Younkin’s office calling for the closure of menhaden fishing. The proposal to limit fishing was created by the administration.
A.J. Erskine voted in favor of the agreement and said during the meeting that the restrictions would not prevent net spills.
“We have emergency response plans that are in place,” Erskine said in the meeting. “I think those are far more effective at actually addressing the problem.”
Omega is retrofitting a boat that will respond to spills and clean up the fish before they wash ashore.
Everett Eaton, 262-902-7896, everett.eaton@virginiamedia.com