Yes, there are no Menhaden, there are NO Menhaden today…

3 June 2026

I didn’t expect to be posting another blog today, but the information in a FB post by Ben Wurst, Conservation Officer in New Jersey, prompted me to reach out to all of you.

We have been talking about protecting Eagles and Golden Eagles but we MUST protect all wildlife and that includes my beloved ospreys who two years ago found their chicks dying on the nest, and who last year laid eggs and abandoned them. I get letters from individuals in Virginia of nests failed early this season and now we watch Little Dewey.

Little Dewey cannot be allowed to starve to death while people sitting at cafe tables below his nest eat fish. That is simply scandalous. I would go to jail for feeding him – and gladly use that as a test case to get this bloody mess of intervention sorted. I do not live in the US, so some will say that is an empty action, but yes, I would do it. My early life was full of social activism and, in particular, fighting for civil and women’s rights and against the Vietnam War in Oklahoma.

This is what Ben Wurst posted today on the Menhaden – Little Fish, Big Deal today:

Ben Wurst 

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Yesterday I flew the entire 130 mile coast of New Jersey. Our goal was to locate schools of menhaden. This was the first time that I’ve ever flown in a Cessna and along the coast. After what we saw with osprey reproduction last year, I knew it was crucial to get independent data on menhaden presence or absence off New Jersey.

The conditions were optimal for flight. Light north winds. Excellent visibility. Great light. We flew from Barnegat Inlet south to Cape May and then north to Sandy Hook.

Throughout the entire flight, which was around 1500 and 2500’ AGL and 1-3 miles offshore, we did not see any schools of menhaden.

The pilot I flew with grew up on the bay and is a life long fisherman, who knows what to look for when reading the water. The whole coast was so calm and quiet that it was eerie. All we saw (marine species wise) were several small pods of dolphins. There wasn’t even much fishing activity.

Right now in NJ many osprey nests are empty, as females did not lay eggs this spring. Those nests with eggs are still incubating, which is odd for this time of year. Most nests should have hatchlings. Those that do have young are entering a crucial period in their development, where plentiful food is required. At one nest that I surveyed today, I noticed how skinny the incubating female looked. All of these behaviors have been observed on the Chesapeake in the past few years. Where are all the fish?

I hope to fly again in another week or two to see if any fish show up but things are looking disastrous.

Do whatever you can to help for the future and for now, if you can.

Thank you for being with us and please wish for fish.

Thank you to the owners of the Dewey Beach streaming cam for allowing us to watch this wonderful family and feisty Little Dewey.