TRCP’s 10-part ‘The Most Important Fish in the Sea’ series features breathtaking wildlife footage and interviews with a diverse range of local experts, anglers, scientists, small businesses and artists to explain what these critical baitfish are and why they matter
(Washington, D.C.)—Over the last eight months, the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership released an educational video series centered on Atlantic menhaden to raise public awareness about this critical baitfish and its management, particularly in the Chesapeake Bay.
The 10 short videos feature local experts, anglers, scientists and conservationists from Virginia Beach to Montauk, N.Y., to capture the significance of this small, yet mighty, fish – presented with award-winning footage of the species being pursued by predators in its natural environment.
Menhaden (also called pogies or bunker) are a small, oil-dense forage fish – similar to herring or sardines – that serve as food, or “forage,” for sportfish, marine mammals and seabirds. This keystone species is often referred to as “the most important fish in the sea” because it provides a necessary foundation for healthy ecosystems, transferring energy from plankton to much larger fish and wildlife higher in the food chain. Menhaden also support charter businesses, bait and tackle industries, and commercial lobster and crab fisheries as one of the most important sources of bait on the Atlantic.
“Menhaden fuel entire ecosystems and economies,” said Jaclyn Lunaas, forage fish program manager for the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. “But rather than simply take our word for it, we wanted these videos to feature our respected partners and other well-known figures to explain in their own words why these small fish matter so much to so many.”
TRCP partners including the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, The Nature Conservancy, Audubon and the Virginia Saltwater Sportfishing Association are featured in the videos, as well as footage from professional drone photographers Joanna Steidle – winner of the top prize at the inaugural International Aerial Photographer of the Year Awards in 2025 – along with Sutton Lake Lynch and Chris Paparo, who also have garnered international attention with their eye-catching footage of menhaden. Legendary saltwater flats fishing guide Captain Paul Dixon, who served as a producer and technical advisor for the 2025 fly fishing film “Looking Through Water,” starring Michael Douglas and Walker Scobell, is also featured.
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, which is responsible for coastwide menhaden management, is currently exploring possible management changes that include options to reduce the Chesapeake Bay’s industrial menhaden harvest and more evenly distribute commercial fishing pressure across the fishing season. The Bay is considered the most important and largest nursery for Atlantic menhaden.
TRCP and partner conservation groups are also urging the ASMFC to reduce the coastwide Atlantic menhaden catch limit to align with the most recent stock assessment results and to initiate a process this fall to reallocate state quotas, in part to reduce fishing pressure in the Bay.
Watch the full video playlist HERE.
Learn more about TRCP’s efforts toward better menhaden conservation HERE.
See the blog version of this news release HERE.
Founded in 2002, the TRCP is the largest coalition of conservation organizations in the country, uniting and amplifying the voices of sportsmen and women by convening hunting and fishing groups, conservation organizations, and outdoor businesses to a common purpose.
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