The ospreys, our much-loved companions on the waterways, are returning. We wish for them a good year nesting, to reverse the recent worrisome decline and failure of their young.
This failure threatens gains made in the last 50 years. Once a rare sighting, ospreys became abundant. Now their numbers are declining again.
The Center for Conservation Biology at the College of William & Mary reported last year that “Mean breeding performance for osprey pairs nesting within the main stem of the bay did not meet levels believed to be required for population maintenance (1.15 young/pair). Collectively, the reproductive rate was 0.55 young/pair.” The cause is suspected to be scarcity of food, specifically menhaden, thought to be the main meal of young ospreys.
The General Assembly that ended in February had a chance to dig deep into the menhaden fishery trends. Delegate Paul V. Milde III of Stafford sponsored House Bill 2713. This bill directed that “the Marine Resources Commission in collab...