Pallone, Booker Push to Protect Critical Fish That Sustain New Jersey’s Marine Wildlife and Fishing Industry

WASHINGTON, DC - Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) and Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) are calling for stronger protections for Atlantic menhaden, a small fish that plays an enormous role in New Jersey's coastal ecosystem. Commonly known as bunker, menhaden are a vital food source for avian and marine wildlife. The lawmakers are urging the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) to significantly reduce fishing limits to ensure enough menhaden remain in the water to sustain the species that depend on them.

A 2025 scientific assessment found that the estimated average menhaden biomass was 37 percent lower than previously thought. The assessment also showed that cuts of 50 percent or more would be needed to reduce the likelihood of fishing pressure meeting or exceeding an ecological target designed to account for the food needs of striped bass. Despite those findings, the Commission reduced the coastwide catch limit by just 20 percent for 2026.

"This level of reduction is insufficient to address the ecological consequences of declining menhaden abundance. Reduced menhaden availability has been identified as the primary driver of low reproduction in ospreys throughout the Chesapeake Bay. A significant cut to the menhaden TAC is needed to prevent broad ecosystem impacts. We, therefore, urge the Commission to adopt a substantial reduction in the Atlantic menhaden TAC that reflects the best available science and supports the rebuilding of dependent species, and by extension the communities in our state and throughout the Atlantic Coast that rely on them," the members wrote.

In a letter to ASMFC Atlantic Menhaden Management Board Chair Joe Cimino, Pallone and Booker warn that excessive menhaden harvesting, including industrial operations that process the fish into fish meal and oil, reduces the food available to predators throughout the Atlantic ecosystem. They argue that fishing limits must account not only for the health of the menhaden population itself, but also for the striped bass, bluefish and other species that depend on it.

The warning comes amid growing concerns about declining osprey reproduction along the Atlantic Coast. In New Jersey, researchers documented the state's worst osprey breeding season in more than three decades in 2025. Research in the Chesapeake Bay has also identified reduced menhaden availability as a primary driver of poor osprey reproduction, underscoring the broader consequences of declining food supplies for coastal wildlife.

Mark Taylor states that, "As President of the Jersey Coast Anglers Association, with next year's total allowable catch limits on the table, it's vital that a major cut is made. We have been here before, and we saw our waters explode with life once the cutback was made back in 2013. Our member clubs all have watched menhaden disappear from New Jersey waters except for a short window in early spring and late fall. They're gone. And when bunker disappear, everything that depends on them-striped bass, whales, tuna, dolphins, osprey, eagles-pays the price. We need fisheries managers to step in now and shut down industrial-scale reduction fishing before it wipes out what's left of the stock. At this point, a full stop on reduction fishing in the New Jersey-New York Bight isn't just reasonable-it's the only responsible move if we want our coastal ecosystem to recover."

The Commission is expected to consider new coastwide fishing limits for 2027 through 2029 at its November meeting. Pallone and Booker are urging regulators to adopt a substantial reduction based on the best available science to protect New Jersey's marine wildlife, recreational fishing communities and the health of the Atlantic Coast.