Osprey chicks are starving in parts of the Chesapeake Bay, which are now fulling calls for stronger menhaden protections locally.
For generations, osprey returning to nests across Hampton Roads have been viewed as one of the clearest signs of a healthy Chesapeake Bay.
Each spring, the birds settle along local waterways, diving for fish and raising their chicks near shorelines familiar to many families in the region. But now, researchers and conservation groups say troubling changes are unfolding in parts of the Bay, particularly in its saltier waters.
Scientists are documenting unusually high osprey nest failures in some areas of the Chesapeake Bay, with many chicks dying before they are able to leave the nest. Researchers and environmental advocates say the trend may point to broader issues involving Atlantic menhaden, a small forage fish considered critical to the Bay’s food chain.
According to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, osprey serve as an important indicator species because their diet depends almost entirely on fish.
“They are a fantastic indicator for the health of our Chesapeake Bay and broader marine ecosystems because they are an apex predator,” said Will Post, forage campaign manager for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.
Post said researchers have seen a sharp drop in osprey productivity — the number of chicks surviving each season — over the last several years.
“What’s really interesting about what we’re seeing on the water over the past four or five years is that osprey nests in the saltier regions of the Chesapeake Bay are failing at an unprecedented rate,” Post said. “Even worse than during the height of the DDT era.”
Researchers believe food shortages are playing a major role in the decline.
Post pointed to the work of Bryan Watts, a William & Mary professor who has studied Chesapeake Bay osprey populations for decades.
“He’s attributing the decline in osprey productivity to a lack of food availability,” Post said. “These chicks are starving to death.”
Researchers say some nests are showing uneven chick growth, while others are failing entirely because adult birds cannot find enough food.
At the center of the concern is Atlantic menhaden, a small oily fish that supports numerous species throughout the Bay, including striped bass, bluefish, dolphins, whales, and seabirds like osprey. Scientists often describe menhaden as a foundational species within the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem.
Conservation groups say the concerns are especially significant in the Bay’s saltier regions, where osprey historically rely more heavily on menhaden as a food source.
“What the osprey are really telling us is, hey, there are major problems with the Chesapeake Bay,” Post said. “There are very likely problems with the menhaden population.”
The issue has intensified debate surrounding industrial menhaden fishing in Virginia. The state is home to the Atlantic coast’s last large-scale industrial menhaden reduction fishery, which processes the fish into products including fish oil, aquaculture feed, and nutritional supplements.
Post said the Chesapeake Bay Foundation is not calling for the industry to end but wants stronger protections within the Chesapeake Bay itself.
“We do not want to see a historic fishery shut down,” Post said. “But we feel it’s more than reasonable to be a little bit more precautionary just inside this estuary.”
The debate could have direct implications for Hampton Roads, where tourism, recreational fishing, boating, seafood industries, and commercial fishing all rely heavily on the health of the Chesapeake Bay.
This week, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission delayed action on potential new menhaden protections for the Bay. The commission voted to continue studying the issue and may revisit possible changes during an August meeting.
Meanwhile, conservation groups and researchers say the osprey declines remain a warning sign they hope policymakers do not ignore.
