Virginia Invests $2M to Study Menhaden | Richmond News

Richmond News Today | 2 Min News | The Daily News Now! · Jul 1, 2026 · 1m

Virginia just poured $2 million into a major new study of menhaden in the Chesapeake Bay — a fish at the center of a heated debate over fishing limits and environmental health. While the industry claims current data shows the fishery is sustainable, environmentalists argue coastwide numbers miss critical local trends. Menhaden’s elusive nature makes them hard to track, and past funding efforts have repeatedly stalled. This time, Governor Spanberger’s budget funds research at William & Mary’s Virginia Institute of Marine Science, partnering with state agencies to gather clearer data over two…