A coalition of recreational fishing and boating groups is endorsing a petition that calls on the Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC) to increase regulation of the nets used by Omega Protein to fish for menhaden in Virginia’s portion of the Chesapeake Bay.
The recently filed petition urges the state’s fishery regulators to limit the allowable fishing zones based on the depth of the large “purse seine” nets that currently extend as much as 60 feet down, including in shallower areas of the estuary, which, the petition states, is causing fish spills, the unintended netting of game fish, and damage to the seabed.
LINK (via Shore Daily News)
