A year-end update on our top four successes, and our 2025 forecast for menhaden and herring conservation
As 2024 wraps up, we’re excited to share this year’s key achievements in forage fish conservation made by TRCP, our partners, and dedicated members along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Forage fish like menhaden and herring are small but vital—they play a critical role in marine food webs and feed popular sportfish such as striped bass, redfish, bluefish, and speckled trout. There’s still a lot to accomplish in 2025 to protect these important species, but with your continued support, we’re ready to dive into the work ahead.
Our Top Four Forage Fish Successes of 2024
1. We successfully advocated for a half-mile buffer zone for industrial menhaden fishing in Louisiana
Our efforts with Coastal Conservation Association Louisiana led to a substantial decrease in fish spills, demonstrating clear ecological benefits. In 2024, the number of Gulf menhaden (or “pogies”) spilled due to industrial fishery operations dropped to approximately 350,000 – or only 26 percent of the annual average of 1.3 million fish recorded between 2013 and 2023. This represents a reduction of nearly 1 million fewer dead fish compared to previous seasons. The buffer was introduced in response to widespread concerns over wasteful fish spills, fouled beaches, and the loss of thousands of redfish caught as bycatch. Historically, these spills were frequent due to net tears occurring when fishing vessels operated in shallow waters near shore, damaging both marine habitats and spawning grounds. The regulation, enacted in April 2024, prohibits pogy boats from fishing within a half-mile of Louisiana’s coast, with extensions up to 3 miles in certain areas. This measure aims to protect sensitive nearshore ecosystems, which serve as vital habitats for forage species like menhaden and sportfish such as redfish and speckled trout. Public records from the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries indicate this year’s spill numbers were the second-lowest since data collection began in 2013, with only 2013 showing fewer losses.
2. We supported the establishment of a work group focused on the Chesapeake Bay menhaden fishery
In August, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Menhaden Management Board voted to establish a work group to explore precautionary management measures for the Chesapeake Bay menhaden fishery, with the goal of protecting predator species like ospreys and striped bass. Atlantic menhaden are crucial to the Bay’s ecosystem, serving as a primary food source for a variety of marine animals, including ospreys, which have struggled with chick-rearing success due to a lack of menhaden for food. The workgroup will focus on creating precautionary measures – such as time and area closures – during critical feeding periods for predators, addressing gaps in current management that do not explicitly consider the dietary needs of ospreys. The goal is to ensure the sustainability of the menhaden population and protect the health of the Bay’s predators while awaiting more detailed stock assessments in 2025.
Click here to demand better science for better management of Chesapeake Bay menhaden
3. Our voices were heard during scoping for Amendment 10 to the Atlantic Herring Management Plan
Public scoping occurred this spring at the New England Fishery Management Council. The ongoing decline of the Atlantic herring stock has sparked support for Amendment 10 to the Atlantic Herring Management Plan, aimed at addressing overfishing, minimizing conflicts with recreational anglers, and improving conservation efforts. Public input during scoping overwhelmingly supported stricter management measures, such as time and area closures and gear restrictions to protect herring and related species like river herring and shad, including nearly 900 comments in support of further management actions to defend herring and supported economies. At its June 2024 meeting, the NEFMC published an updated Atlantic herring stock assessment which showed that the herring stock is not successfully rebuilding and continues to be in recruitment failure. Based on these results, the Council recommended that the National Marine Fisheries Service, which is responsible for setting annual catch limits, take immediate action to decrease the 2025 catch by 86 percent, effectively closing the fishery to all but small-scale bait fisheries. This lowered quota will essentially prevent the industrial midwater trawl fleet from operating in 2025, and while it is a severe (albeit short-term) loss for New England fishermen who rely on herring for bait, this move will allow the herring stock to begin recovering, while also decreasing the amount of river herring and shad that are caught as bycatch.
4. We successfully advocated for the reintroduction of the bipartisan Forage Fish Conservation Act
The act was reintroduced in the U.S. House this September by Reps. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) and Brian Mast (R-FL). The FFCA seeks to improve the management and conservation of federally managed forage species like Atlantic herring and mackerel. These species are crucial to the marine food web, supporting predators such as humpback whales, bluefin tuna, and striped bass. The legislation aims to amend the Magnuson-Stevens Act by requiring fishery managers to evaluate the ecological importance of forage fish, account for predator needs, and assess the impacts of new commercial fisheries before opening them. The act also emphasizes the need for science-based conservation measures to prevent overfishing and protect the health of marine ecosystems. As forage fish populations have declined due to overfishing and habitat loss – especially in species like river herring and shad – this legislation will help sustain both the environment and the $138 billion recreational fishing economy, which supports nearly 700,000 jobs nationwide.
Our Forage Fish Conservation Forecast for 2025
Gulf Menhaden
As the Gulf menhaden fishery continues to be shaped by evolving regulations, the TRCP is working toward a transition to ecosystem-based fisheries management, which will involve comprehensive scientific studies. In 2022, with the support of TRCP and partners, the Louisiana Legislature allocated $1 million to fund a bycatch study aimed at understanding the effects of Gulf menhaden harvest. The study aims to explore seasonal bycatch patterns, focusing on how predator (e.g., redfish) interactions with menhaden schools may influence bycatch during critical breeding seasons. The findings, which are expected to be published in early 2025, will provide valuable insights into how industrial fishing affects predator diets, food availability, and mortality, particularly during key times like redfish breeding season in the fall. These results will be instrumental in guiding our efforts in 2025.
Atlantic Menhaden
Next fall, the latest stock assessment updates for Atlantic menhaden will be published. The ASMFC’s Menhaden Management Board will consider updates to the ecological reference points (ERPs), based on the results of two key assessments: a single-species stock assessment, which evaluates the overall health of the menhaden stock, and an ERP stock assessment, which examines how menhaden abundance impacts predator species, particularly striped bass. The TRCP and its partners are pushing for the inclusion of essential data in these assessments, such as natural mortality rates for menhaden, updated predator diet information (especially regarding ospreys in the Chesapeake Bay), and detailed geographic and seasonal data. The goal is to ensure that ERP targets, coastwide quotas, and state allocations are set to maintain adequate menhaden populations to support predator diets. The TRCP will also continue to support the work of the Chesapeake Bay Menhaden Work Group to encourage a balanced management framework that minimizes the localized impacts of menhaden harvest, ultimately contributing to the recovery and sustainability of both menhaden populations and the predators that rely on them.
Atlantic Herring
Work to advocate for the implementation of Amendment 10 to the Atlantic herring fishery will continue throughout next year, with final completion of the amendment expected by the NEFMC in 2026. While the herring fishery’s quota will be significantly reduced over the next few fishing seasons, TRCP and partner efforts to address location and area restrictions and better management of Atlantic herring to minimize user conflicts, contribute to optimum yield, support rebuilding of the herring resource, and develop protections for river herring and shad caught incidentally by the midwater trawl fleet will serve to augment the council’s quota decreases and support the stock rebuilding plan. To achieve optimum yield and a truly sustainable fishery for decades to come, spatial protections such as those defined by Amendment 10 will be critical for New England’s forage base and the predators that feed on them.
Learn More About Forage Fish
Learn more about how forage fish drive sportfishing and underpin healthy marine ecosystems, and stay tuned for more updates about our forage fish conservation efforts in the coming year. As always, feel free to reach out to our team at any time.
Banner image courtesy Joanna Steidle; image of osprey with menhaden courtesy Chesapeake Bay Program; herring image courtesy 16:9Clue