But we can thank the Commonwealth of Virginia for introducing blue catfish into the Chesapeake Bay System without understanding the potential consequences on the bay and indigenous stocks while creating an enormous imbalance in the ecosystem. The same imbalance they created while making millions from allowing Cooke Inc. / Omega Protein to ravage the bunker population within the bay causing further extreme consequential damages to the bay ecosystem and striped bass spawning grounds that northern states and the stock are paying the price for.
Here's the best part per the article in the attached link.
https://www.google.com/search?q=ow+m...t=gws-wiz-serp
Omega Protein does not pay Virginia a specific fee to net menhaden; instead, its fishing operations are subject to regulations and permits from the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) and state agencies, with any monetary contributions being part of broader permitting or compliance processes that are not publicly detailed. While the company profits from harvesting menhaden, a public resource, there is no record of direct payments to the state for the right to fish in the Bay.
What a bunch of political rhetoric and bullshit which ASMFC not only oversees but allows to exist and profits from. And we wonder why the recreational sector routinely gets the proverbial short end of the stick. ASMFC's charter is to manage and protect fisheries and waters 0-3 miles from shore and instead allows and profit from regulations which accomplish the exact opposite.
