The Chesapeake Bay fishing industry holds tremendous commercial, cultural and historic value. Managing the fisheries for blue crabs, oysters, striped bass, shad and menhaden is also critical in restoring and protecting the population of these species and their important place in the ecosystem.
To improve fisheries management, Bay Program partners are developing ecosystem-based plans. This type of comprehensive approach involves three components:
- Actions that address a single species.
- A focus on multi-species interactions.
- Consideration of the entire ecosystem.
Improving water quality and restoring habitats are also part of this management approach.
These efforts focus on promoting a shift from a traditional management approach that looks solely at single species to one that recognizes interactions between multiple species and environmental stressors, such as low dissolved oxygen levels (ecosystem-based). Success is measured by milestones necessary to achieve that shift, not by an assessment of fishing stocks.
Single-species fishery management plans are already being implemented, but ecosystem-based plans are more complex and will take time to fully develop and implement.
Oyster Fishery Management
Importance
Managing the oyster fishery requires a multi-pronged approach.
- Currently, there are minimum size limits, bushel limits, gear restrictions, and seasonal and geographical closings.
- Additionally, sanctuaries are used to protect oysters from harvest and increase the population of spawning adult oysters.
- Restoration efforts that focus on rebuilding reefs and planting oysters also benefit the fishery.
It continues to be challenging to identify the level of harvest that supports the fishery but does not compromise restoration efforts.
Learn more about oyster management and restoration.
Status
The score for oyster fishery management increased by 2 percent, from 37 to 39 percent, because of three actions taken during 2008.
- First, a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement that evaluates alternatives for restoring the oyster population was released for public comment.
- Second, Maryland completed the first year of a pilot study on how best to measure the oyster biomass, which will improve population assessment and management.
- Finally, development of oyster aquaculture is progressing, which could reduce harvest pressure on wild oysters and provide a viable product for the industry.
Blue Crab Fishery Management
Importance
Blue crabs make up the most valuable commercial fishery in the Bay. To both protect the fishery and restore the spawning stock, the harvest is regulated through a minimum catch size, gear restrictions and seasonal harvest limits. An annual winter dredge survey provides estimates of the percentage of the crab population that is removed by harvest each year. Additionally, because blue crabs play important roles as both predator and prey, scientists have studied their interactions with striped bass, their predators.
Learn more about blue crab management and restoration.
Status
The score for blue crab fishery management increased by 2 percent, from 56 to 58 percent, because of several actions during 2008.
- Maryland and Virginia developed commercial regulations to reduce the harvest of mature female blue crabs by 34 percent.
- New Maryland regulations include an early seasonal closure, increased size limits for peeler crabs and commercial catch limits. The recreational fishery was prohibited from harvesting any female crabs.
- New Virginia regulations include an extended closure of the sanctuary, elimination of the winter dredge fishery, increased size limits for peeler crabs and a gear reduction plan.
- The commercial blue crab fishery was declared a state of disaster. Each state will receive $10 million for watermen projects such as habitat restoration, fishery monitoring, industry diversification and aquaculture.
American Shad Fishery Management
Importance
Overfishing, water pollution and dams that prevented access to spawning areas led to a greatly diminished stock of American shad in the 1970s. This led two states to implement a fishing moratorium: Maryland in 1980 and Virginia in 1994.
In addition to the shad fishing moratorium, researchers and managers are currently stocking hatchery-raised fish, removing dams and installing fish passage on key Bay tributaries to restore this species.
Catch limits and safe levels of harvest must be developed before the Bay fishery can be reopened. Also, because shad spend much of their lives in coastal Atlantic waters, continued management by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission is crucial.
Learn more about American shad management and restoration.
Status
The score for American shad fishery management has not changed. However, new coastal management measures are under development. In response to the 2007 coastal stock assessment, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission is developing biological reference points for managing the stocks, developing stock restoration goals, decreasing and restricting fisheries, and planning to develop new management strategies in 2009.
Striped Bass Fishery Management
Importance
The Chesapeake Bay is the primary spawning and nursery habitat for up to 90 percent of the Atlantic Coast’s striped bass population. The Bay’s fishery for striped bass collapsed during the 1970s and 1980s as the population of this species plummeted. But fishing moratoria and proper management led to a rebound, and the striped bass fishery was reopened in 1990.
An annual cap on the commercial harvest of Atlantic menhaden, striped bass’ main prey, is in place from 2006 to 2010. Fishery management currently involves monitoring, catch quotas and seasonal closings. Ecosystem-based fisheries management is especially important for striped bass because they are among the Bay’s top predators.
Learn more about striped bass management.
Status
The score for striped bass fishery management did not change. Some important research occurred in 2008, such as biological briefs and background information for ecosystem-based plans; however, it has not yet been included into an ecosystem-based fishery management plan.
Also in 2008, research continued on the disease mycobacteriosis. Modeling results provided the first evidence of mycobacteriosis-associated mortality in the striped bass population in the Bay. Scientists also identified priority areas for protection and restoration based on the location of striped bass spawning and larval distribution and water quality conditions.
Atlantic Menhaden Fishery Management
Importance
Atlantic menhaden have a unique role in the ecosystem as filter feeders and prey for top predators such as striped bass, which requires a multispecies management plan. Menhaden migrate into Chesapeake Bay and are part of a larger stock along the Atlantic Coast. The coastal population is healthy, but there are concerns about declining numbers of young menhaden in the Bay. In response, a five-year cap on commercial harvest was put in place in 2006. During this time, a variety of research projects will occur.
Learn more about Atlantic menhaden management.
Status
The score for Atlantic menhaden fishery management did not change in 2008. Research projects were completed but did not lead to any management changes. A menhaden team was organized to begin developing an ecosystem-based fishery management plan, and background briefs will be ready by March 2009.
Additional research is needed, including linking changes in the environment to recruitment and growth, using remote sensing technology to determine menhaden distribution and abundance, understanding larval movement into the Bay from the mid-Atlantic spawning areas, and determining the level of removal of menhaden by predators such as striped bass.
Chesapeake Bay Program Office