2026 Menhaden Quota Cut By 20%

On October 28, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) Menhaden Management Board voted to reduce the 2026 menhaden quota by 20%, to 186,840 metric tons from the current 233,550 metric tons. The Board initially proposed a 55% reduction in the 2026 quota, despite a stock assessment that states the population is not overfished and that overfishing is not occurring. The quota decrease is designed to reduce fishing pressure on menhaden and to protect other species, like striped bass, which feed on the migratory fish.

As a result of the 20% cut, Maine’s portion of the menhaden quota will drop next year from 24 million pounds to under 20 million pounds.

Photo courtesy of MainePublic

When the Menhaden Board announced plans for a 55% reduction in quota, the Maine Lobstermen’s Association (MLA) outlined the lobster industry’s concerns in a letter to ASMFC and called on Maine lobstermen to make clear their objections to such a drastic reduction in one of the lobster fishery’s primary sources of bait. At the October meeting, the MLA spoke strongly to Menhaden Board members about the impact a 55% cut would have on lobstermen throughout the state, urging regulators to consider the impact on numerous small communities that depend on the lobster fishery.

“Excessive quota cuts in a fishery that is not overfished is an overcorrection that will cause significant harm to Maine’s lobster industry,” Patrice McCarron, MLA’s executive director told managers at the Delaware meeting. “Any reduction in the menhaden quota will only increase our reliance on non-local, imported bait—which is not only uncertain and more expensive, but relying on non-native species is also riskier for the ecosystem. The MLA urges you to address the importance of the menhaden bait fishery to Maine’s lobstermen, our coastal communities, and marine ecosystem by limiting quota reductions to no more than 10%.”

Environmental organizations urged the Board to commit to a 55% reduction, which would have resulted in a 2026 quota of just over 105,000 metric tons.

While the quota reduction is larger than Maine’s lobster industry had hoped for, it represents a compromise by states from Maine to Florida and is considered a win for Maine’s lobster industry. “The 20% cut will certainly impact Maine’s lobster fishery, avoiding a 55% cut recognizes the importance of menhaden as a critical local bait source and the need to keep Maine’s small-boat fleet working,” the MLA said in a statement. Managers will revisit the quota discussion to set the quota for 2027 and 2028.