For myself and other Virginians, Ospreys represent one of our strongest ties to the natural world. The Chesapeake Bay, the largest estuary in the United States and third-largest on Earth, is home to the largest breeding population of Ospreys on the planet, estimated at 10,000 – 12,000 pairs. Every year, we have a Virginia Osprey Festival in Colonial Beach followed by an Osprey 10k run in Smith Mountain Lake State Park. They are iconic of the Bay and a strong part of our culture.
But Ospreys in the Chesapeake region have a problem right now, and they need our help. It’s in large part because of a small, oily fish called Atlantic menhaden.
Menhaden, and other forage fish like it, are the backbone of our marine ecosystems. Birds, sharks, whales, and dolphins on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts all rely on menhaden to survive. Anglers depend on menhaden indirectly—they serve as a food source for large game fish like striped bass. However, both the animals and people that need menhaden are facing pressure from industrial fishing, threatening their ability to survive in the future.
The College of William and Mary, located in Williamsburg, Virginia, has been tracking the health of Osprey nests along the Virginia coast in Mobjack Bay for decades, with records going as far back as 1970. Researchers there are now sounding the alarm on a dramatic decline in Osprey reproductive success. They called last year’s season “a catastrophic failure,” with only 17 out of 167 nests having live chicks during one research survey. Without enough fish to eat, Osprey chicks are starving in their nests, and overall reproductive rates have dropped even lower than at the height of the DDT era. This year, the situation has not improved. For the 2024 season, the Osprey reproductive rate was 0.51 young per pair—significantly lower than the 1.15 young per pair needed to maintain a healthy population. It is clear that in Mobjack Bay, there is still not enough to eat for Osprey chicks.
The culprit? Overfishing of menhaden.
Often called “the most important fish in the sea,” the menhaden fishery is an expansive and powerful industry. All over the United States, forage fish such as menhaden are collected in the billions of pounds. Last year alone, the Chesapeake Bay menhaden catch limit was set at 51,000 metric tons, or over 112 million pounds. In Virginia, menhaden are caught as part of the Atlantic’s only remaining “reduction fishery.” In a reduction fishery, fish are ground up and turned into fish oil supplements, cat food, cosmetics, and fertilizers. This is a multibillion-dollar industry that has been impacting our coastlines for decades. Menhaden are primarily fished by purse seine fishing, a method where large nets are used to scoop up thousands of tons of fish, both the targeted species and anything else in the area. When done too close to the shoreline, seine fishing can damage the coast and negatively impact the seabed.
Scientists have long known that when menhaden thrive, the birds and fish that eat them thrive. Striped bass depend on menhaden, and as one of the most important catches for recreational fishers in Virginia, fishing for striped bass has a big impact on the state economy. That’s why the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, a multistate regulatory agency, has already accounted for the needs of striped bass when setting the yearly catch limit for menhaden. This is a good starting point, but we need to go farther.
Currently the needs of birds like Ospreys and Bald Eagles are not given the same representation in catch limit rules as other types of economically important fish that eat menhaden, like striped bass, bluefish, spiny dogfish, and weakfish. These avian predators are highly sensitive to the fluctuations of the menhaden population. With over 50 years of data showing the close-knit relationship Osprey have with menhaden, we believe that there is more than enough information to include them directly with these other predators when determining how much can be caught.
Thanks to the advocacy of our partners, our members, and our staff, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission has created a Chesapeake Bay menhaden workgroup to explore Bay-specific menhaden fishery management measures. This workgroup will consider options like menhaden fishery closures during certain seasons or in specific areas, with the potential to transform the menhaden conversation in the Bay and promote real, lasting change in the fishery.
Audubon will continue to advocate for the dietary needs of Ospreys and other seabirds to be added to menhaden ecological reference points, the framework that the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission uses to determine menhaden catch limits. We will also push for a seining buffer zone within the Chesapeake Bay in order to reduce the damage this fishing technique has on our coastlines when done too close to the shore.
If we act now, we can have a fishery that leaves enough fish for both recreational fishers and our coastal birds and predators. Until more precaution is taken in preserving this delicate relationship, our birds will continue to be in danger.
