The Chesapeake Bay area (including the mid-Atlantic area) accounted for about 77% of the Atlantic menhaden landings in 1990 and about 73% during the 1980-1990 period. Plants in the north and south Atlantic areas, including one plant active during the fall fishery, processed about 27% of the annual landings. Three plants located in Virginia and North Carolina processed about 90% of the harvest.

In 1991, Chesapeake Bay, including the mid-Atlantic area, accounted for about 74% of the menhaden landings. The North Atlantic area contributed most of the balance of the landings, while the south Atlantic area contributed the remainder. The catch was landed at shoreside processing plants in Beaufort, North Carolina; Reedville, Virginia. (2 plants); and Blacks Harbour, N.B., Canada. A Russian factory ship anchored at various locations within the territorial waters of southern Maine also processed menhaden under an IWP arrangement.

As no menhaden landings for reduction have occurred in New England since the summer of 1993, landings of Atlantic menhaden for reduction have been made exclusively by the Virginia and North Carolina vessels at Reedville, Virginia and Beaufort, North Carolina. Between 1994-1997, the factories at Reedville processed an average 89% of the Atlantic menhaden catch for reduction; the remainder was unloaded at Beaufort. The Reedville plant is one of the major employers in Virginia's Northern Neck and one of the largest employers of African-Americans in the state.

Recently, summarized catch estimates of menhaden vessel captains in the Virginia and North Carolina fleets (excluding New England vessels) from Captains Daily Fishing Reports (CDFR 's) during 1985-96 indicated that, on average, over the twelve year study period, 52% of the catch by the Virginia and North Carolina fleets came from the Virginia portion of Chesapeake Bay, 17% was caught in North Carolina coastal waters, 16% in Virginia ocean waters, and 15% in ocean waters of Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland and Delaware Bay combined. However, the New Jersey portion of Delaware Bay has been closed to the reduction fishery since mid-1989, the Delaware portion in mid-1992, and most of Long Island Sound has now been closed to the reduction fishery.

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