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HB1049 • 2026

Menhaden reduction fishery; quota periods in Chesapeake Bay.

<p class=ldtitle>A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding in Article 2 of Chapter 4 of Title 28.2 a section numbered 28.2-412, relating to Marine Resources Commission; Chesapeake Bay; menhaden reduction fishery; quota periods; observers.</p>

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Carr
Last action
2026-02-18
Official status
Failed
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The exact duration of quota periods and how fishermen will adapt to these new rules are not specified.

Menhaden Fishing Rules for Chesapeake Bay

This law sets rules to manage how much menhaden can be caught and when, to protect the fish population in the Chesapeake Bay.

What This Bill Does

  • Directs the Marine Resources Commission to develop a system where the removal of menhaden from the Chesapeake Bay is more evenly distributed throughout the harvest season.
  • Establishes either a monthly-based or trimester-based quota period management system for the menhaden reduction fishery in the Chesapeake Bay.
  • Requires that 10 percent of all trips for catching menhaden have trained observers on board to record what and how much is being caught.
  • Observers must report their findings to the Marine Resources Commission.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Fishermen who catch menhaden in the Chesapeake Bay
  • The Marine Resources Commission

Terms To Know

Menhaden
A type of fish that is important for the ecosystem and used by fishing industries.
Quota period
A specific time frame during which a certain amount of menhaden can be caught.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The law will end one year after written certification by the Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources that findings of a General Assembly-appropriated study have been published.
  • It's not clear how fishermen and the Marine Resources Commission will adapt to these new rules.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

HB1049AHC1

2026-02-09

Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources Amendment

Plain English: The amendment adds a provision that the bill's provisions will expire after one year following written certification by the Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources.

  • Adds an expiration clause to the bill, which means the bill’s rules will only be in effect for one year after the findings from a study on Atlantic menhaden fishery are published.
  • The exact details of when and how the certification is given by the Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources are not specified, which could affect when the bill's provisions expire.
HB1049AHC2

2026-02-09 • Committee

Chesapeake Subcommittee Amendment

Plain English: The amendment adds a provision that the new law about managing the menhaden reduction fishery in the Chesapeake Bay will expire after one year following written certification by the Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources.

  • Adds a clause stating that the act's provisions will end one year after the Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources certifies to the Virginia Code Commission that findings from a study on the Atlantic menhaden fishery in the Chesapeake Bay have been published.
  • The exact details of when this certification might occur are not specified, so it's unclear exactly how long the law will remain active.
HB1049AH1

2026-02-11 • Committee

Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources Amendment

Plain English: The amendment adds a provision that the new law about managing the menhaden reduction fishery in the Chesapeake Bay will end after one year following the publication of a study on the fishery.

  • Adds a clause stating that the act's provisions expire one year after the Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources certifies to the Virginia Code Commission that findings from a General Assembly-funded study about the Atlantic menhaden fishery in the Chesapeake Bay have been published.
  • The exact details of how the certification process works or what happens if the study is not completed within expected timeframes are not specified in this amendment text.

Bill History

  1. 2026-02-18 House

    Left in Committee Appropriations

  2. 2026-02-11 Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources

    Reported from Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources with amendment(s) and referred to Appropriations (12-Y 10-N)

  3. 2026-02-09 Chesapeake

    Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendment(s) and referring to Appropriations (7-Y 3-N)

  4. 2026-02-09 Chesapeake

    House subcommittee offered

  5. 2026-02-05 House

    Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB1049)

  6. 2026-01-30 Chesapeake

    Assigned HACNR sub: Chesapeake

  7. 2026-01-14 House

    Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26103931D

  8. 2026-01-14 Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources

    Referred to Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources

Official Summary Text

Marine Resources Commission; Chesapeake Bay; menhaden reduction fishery; quota periods; observers.
Directs the Marine Resources Commission to develop and maintain a quota period management system for the menhaden reduction fishery Bay Cap, as defined in the bill, that is designed to ensure that the removal of menhaden from the Chesapeake Bay is more evenly distributed throughout the harvest season and to mitigate the negative impacts of concentrated, high volume menhaden removals from the Bay. The bill directs the Commission to establish either a monthly-based system or a trimester-based system and provides that no unused or underutilized portion of a quota period may be carried or rolled over into the following quota period. Finally, the bill requires the Commission to ensure that (i) 10 percent of all trips for the menhaden reduction fishery carry at least one trained observer to document the composition and weight of the actual catch and (ii) such observers report such documentation to the Commission.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HB 1049

AGRICULTURE, CHESAPEAKE AND NATURAL RESOURCES

1. After line 27, introduced

insert

2. That the provisions of this act shall expire one year following written certification by the Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources to the Virginia Code Commission that findings of a General Assembly-appropriated study of the Atlantic menhaden fishery in the Chesapeake Bay have been published.