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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: StatementOn the May 10th Decision by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission to Postpone Action Finding Virginia Out of Compliance for Not Capping Menhaden HarvestsThe following is a statement from Menhaden Matter - an alliance of recreational anglers and environmentalists dedicated to protecting the ecological role of menhaden and the Chesapeake Bay - regarding the ASMFC decision to delay moving forward to initiate action against the Commonwealth of Virginia for failing to implement a limit on the menhaden harvest in the Chesapeake Bay. "We are encouraged that Governor Kaine has signaled his interest in bringing Virginia into compliance with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission decision to cap the industrial harvest of menhaden at current levels in the Chesapeake Bay while more research can be conducted. The Governor’s willingness to consider a cap represents recognition of the import role that 60 years of interstate cooperation have played in protecting Virginia’s marine resources, and the value that a healthy Chesapeake Bay brings to the state’s economy and quality of life. We hope that the one company that operates the East Coast’s last menhaden reduction fishery - Omega Protein - and its friends in the Virginia General Assembly will support any efforts to implement an important conservation measure that will result in no job loss for Virginians. However, if Virginia does not implement the cap by the July 1st deadline, it is essential that the ASMFC move quickly to take appropriate action so that the catch limit will be effective for the 2006 fishing season." ### |