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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Menhaden Matter StatementOn Virginia's Action to Seek Compliance with the ASMFC Cap on the Harvest of Menhaden in the Chesapeake BayThe following is a statement from Menhaden Matter regarding Governor Tim Kaine's action to seek compliance with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission decision to limit the industrial harvest of menhaden in the Chesapeake Bay. "With his action today, Governor Kaine has charted a navigable course for implementing — in real time — the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission cap on the harvest of menhaden and ensuring the necessary research will be conducted to protect what many have called 'the most important fish in the sea.' We commend the Governor for his leadership in recognizing the critical 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 also want to thank Maryland Governor Robert Ehrlich for being a vocal and visible champion on behalf of this effort. His steadfast leadership in the fight to secure this critical precautionary conservation measure represents an important victory for environmentalists, recreational anglers and all those who love the Chesapeake Bay." ### Menhaden Matter is an alliance of environmental and recreational fishing organizations dedicated to protecting the ecological role of menhaden and the Chesapeake Bay that includes the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Coastal Conservation Association, Environmental Defense, National Environmental Trust, National Coalition for Marine Conservation and the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. |