Story perspectives

Starving Osprey Chicks Spur Lawsuit Over Menhaden Harvest

5/27/2026

Summary

Story summary

Seventeen of 167 Osprey nests in Mobjack Bay contain starving chicks because menhaden are scarce.
Omega Protein catches about 244 million menhaden yearly, and its harvest now is under one-third levels.
A 2023 study linked Osprey declines since the 1980s to menhaden reductions and urged restoring stock levels.
Conservation groups and anglers have sued Virginia regulators for cuts and a net ban.
Louisiana added a February half-mile buffer that bans menhaden fishing.

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Story summary

Seventeen of 167 Osprey nests in Mobjack Bay contain starving chicks because menhaden are scarce.
Omega Protein catches about 244 million menhaden yearly, and its harvest now is under one-third levels.
A 2023 study linked Osprey declines since the 1980s to menhaden reductions and urged restoring stock levels.
Conservation groups and anglers have sued Virginia regulators for cuts and a net ban.
Louisiana added a February half-mile buffer that bans menhaden fishing.