Anglers recently received an alarming report on the health of Chesapeake Bay striped bass (or rockfish as Chesapeake Bay area natives call them). Current striped bass numbers are among the worst recorded.
There are many reasons for the low numbers of stripers, including heavy pollution run-off from Maryland and Virginia farms to the depletion of local fishes. On the latter, the menhaden is a critical baitfish to these fragile ecosystems and overfishing of menhaden has damaged populations of everything from striped bass to local birds.
Please take action to protect the aquatic life of the Chesapeake Bay by signing a petition from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation to stop the overfishing of menhaden.
To sign the petition, please click here.