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House passes legislation extending cap on menhaden fishing Date published: 2/10/2010
RICHMOND --The House of Delegates yesterday passed a bill to extend the cap on menhaden fishing--and keep control of the fish in legislative hands--despite some heated opposition.The bill, from Del. Albert Pollard, D-Lancaster, extends to 2014 an existing cap (109,020 metric tons) on the number of menhaden that can be taken from the Virginia part of the Chesapeake Bay. Menhaden, a small, oily fish, is the only saltwater fish not regulated by the Virginia Marine Resources Commission. It's overseen instead by the General Assembly. Bills to move menhaden control to the VMRC have died this session. Menhaden are mostly commercially fished by Omega Protein in the Northern Neck. Pollard said his bill protects menhaden from overfishing but that studies don't show that menhaden are in danger of being overfished in the bay. He said his bill protects jobs and fishermen as well as the menhaden, and that without it, the cap would expire, thus opening up menhaden to more fishing. "Fishing pressure now is far less than in previous years," Pollard said. But the bill had its detractors. Del. Jackson Miller, R-Manassas, said it's wrong for the legislature to keep control over menhaden, when the VMRC oversees other marine fisheries. He also said there are more jobs at stake than just those at Omega. "Which is better for Virginia, those few dozen jobs in the Northern Neck or those thousands of jobs all around Virginia?" Miller said. "Vote against the industrial fishing factories. Vote for the health of the Chesapeake Bay. Vote for the traditional bay watermen, and vote for that oily little fish called menhaden." Pollard said Miller was spreading misinformation about menhaden and accused him of trying to protect sport fishermen. "The problem here is not one of resource, the problem is one of allocation," Pollard said. "He doesn't want people who live on the water to catch the fish; he wants his people who come down on the weekend to catch the fish." The bill passed 77-22. A similar bill from Sen. Richard Stuart, R-Westmoreland, has already passed the Senate. Chelyen Davis: 540/368-5028
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