Bunker are the most important fish to Northeast fishermen. A strong bunker population helps grow large and healthy populations of bluefish, striped bass, bluefin tuna, sharks, humpback whales, and just about every predatory fish in our nearshore waters. They’ve also been called the most important fish in the sea, not just for their role in the food chain, but for their filter feeding, which helps prevent algae blooms and deoxygenated zones. We need bunker in our waters, in fact, a recent study showed that we need more bunker in our waters.
During a meeting on October 28, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC), the group responsible for managing shared fishery resources along the Atlantic coast, had the opportunity to leave more menhaden in our waters, and despite the 2025 Menhaden Stock Assessment suggesting otherwise, they voted not to.
The 2025 Stock Assessment showed that the Atlantic menhaden population is 33% lower than previously estimated. It indicated that, in order to help support the rebuilding of the striped bass population (which the ASMFC declined to reduce catches for in 2026), the menhaden quota should be cut by more than 50%. The ASMFC’s response? A 20% reduction.
In a press release from the American Sportfishing Association (ASA), Rob Shane wrote, “This inaction also flies in the face of the Commission’s own science, which shows that Atlantic menhaden biomass is substantially lower than previous estimates and that stronger conservation measures are needed. The 20% reduction does not reflect an ecosystem-based approach and contradicts the Commission’s own precedent: in 2022, when a higher biomass estimate was reported, the Atlantic menhaden quota was promptly increased. Yet now, with declining stock conditions, the Board has refused to act with similar urgency.”
But a 20% reduction is better than nothing, right? Well, considering that the fishery rarely fills even 80% of the quota, it’s about equal to nothing. As Mike Waine of the ASA said, “The Board cut quota but didn’t even cut harvest.”
As a press release from Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership (TRCP) pointed out, a healthy menhaden population is essential to rebuilding the striped bass population.
Chris Macaluso, director of the Center for Fisheries for the TRCP said, “The Menhaden Management Board’s decision to adopt only a 20 percent reduction in menhaden harvest, despite the science and input from ASMFC’s own scientists who highlighted the risks, makes it more challenging to achieve striped bass recovery by 2029. This step falls short of fully advancing more than a decade of progress toward ecosystem-based management and undermines public trust in the process.”