ASMFC November 2026 meeting will set menhaden quotas for 2027-2029 and vote on Draft Addendum II

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission posted its November 2026 annual meeting materials on October 28. The Atlantic Menhaden Management Board packet arrives in two parts. Part 1 covers the board agenda, draft proceedings from the August 2026 meeting, specifications for the 2027-2029 fishing years, public comment submitted during the fall hearing period, and a commercial quota reallocation request. Part 2 covers Draft Addendum II to Amendment 3 of the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Menhaden, along with public comment and hearing summaries from the fall 2026 state hearings. Neither document describes the final outcome; those decisions come at the November meeting.

The 2027-2029 specifications are the most consequential item on the agenda. ASMFC sets menhaden harvest levels under a reference point framework that weighs both the commercial fishery and the ecological role of menhaden as forage. Atlantic menhaden, called bunker or pogy along the coast, is the primary schooling baitfish that concentrates striped bass, bluefish, and weakfish from Maine through the Carolinas each fall. The specifications the board adopts will govern commercial menhaden landings for three fishing years; the current specifications expire after 2026.

Draft Addendum II proposes changes to Amendment 3 of the Menhaden FMP. ASMFC released the addendum text for public comment in August 2026; state hearings ran through September. The full board materials, including the addendum text, public comment summaries, and the proposed 2027-2029 specifications, are available for download at the ASMFC links in the sources below.

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