Projection Shows Annual Catch Limits Have Been Set More Than
275 Million Pounds Higher Than They Should Have Been for Past Six Years

FLORAL PARK, N.Y., Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Saltwater Guides Association ("ASGA"), a coalition of forward-thinking guides, small business owners and like-minded anglers who understand the value of keeping fish in the water, today called on the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission ("ASMFC") to immediately reduce the total allowable catch of Atlantic menhaden ("menhaden") by 55%. This call for the significant reduction is in direct response to an assessment of the "most important fish in the sea" showing that figures used to determine natural mortality of menhaden has been inaccurately estimated for years, resulting in annual legal catch limits 275 million pounds higher than they should beⁱ.

"As most know, Atlantic Menhaden are a critically important species across the inshore and nearshore ecosystem, serving as a major forage fish for predatory fish, birds and marine mammals," said Tony Friedrich, policy director of American Saltwater Guides Association. "The projections released last week exposes a hard-to-fathom level of mismanagement by the ASMFC of this critical species – with more than 275,000,000 pounds of menhaden being harvested per year than there should be, largely by a single enterprise benefitting off the United States' natural resources to the detriment of our broader marine ecosystem. Anglers up and down the coast have been raising alarms for years about the massive, industrial removal of menhaden and the concerning decline of menhaden throughout their historical range, and this assessment provides substantial and concrete data that not only supports, but further amplifies their concerns. The bottom line is this – the ASMFC has failed yet again to effectively manage a species under its purview, and there needs to be immediate and severe accountability to help reset this critical species up and down the coast. Accordingly, we are calling on the ASMFC to take action NOW, and enact an immediate 55% reduction of the total legally allowable catch amount for Atlantic Menhaden at the October 28 meeting of the ASFMC menhaden board."

On Oct. 28, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) Atlantic menhaden board will meet to determine the future of the menhaden fishery. This coast-wide regulatory body has about 70 board members representing 15 states on the menhaden management committee.

Menhaden is a critical forage fish that has been called "the most important fish in the sea" due to its role in supporting marine ecosystems, specifically as food for predatory fish, whales and marine mammals, birds, crustaceans and more. Menhaden are harvested by the billions, primarily by a single enterprise, in and around the Chesapeake Bay and Mid-Atlantic region in the Atlantic Ocean. Once harvested, menhaden are used as bait for commercial fisheries or turned into products such as omega-3 capsules, cat food, fertilizer or feed pellets for pen-raised aquaculture. ASGA believes leaving more menhaden in the water not only creates a healthier ecosystem but supports hundreds of businesses in the recreational fishing economy.

For more information on menhaden management and how one can provide input to how the species is managed, please visit the ASGA's menhaden webpage.

About the American Saltwater Guides Association
Founded in 2019, the American Saltwater Guides Association was created to activate and unite guides, small business owners and like-minded anglers, and to represent them and their voice at the federal, regional and state level. The ASGA is a coalition of forward-thinking guides, small business owners and like-minded anglers who understand the value of keeping fish in the water. We realize that abundance equals opportunity, and that such opportunity is quite a bit more important to the future of fishing than low size limits and full coolers. More information about the ASGA, its mission, board members and current areas of focus can be found at www.saltwaterguidesassociation.org. 

For more information about the ASGA:

Tony Friedrich –
tony@saltwaterguidesassociation.org 

ⁱ ASMFC Memo, October 9, 2025, titled "Stock Projections to Inform 2026–2028 Total Allowable Catch Levels

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SOURCE American Saltwater Guides Association